Mass Effect: Regeneration
by omilly
Summary: The galaxy as we know it, had been saved - the Reapers had been destroyed. The galaxy had been united like never before, and the future was near and bright for all. The legends of this war will never be forgotten, but some stories were not finished. The legend of Commander Shepard was thought to be over, but one should not jump to conclusions so soon.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

All that could be heard was the humming of the engines. The Normandy purred smoothly, as Joker gently tapped the stationary button on the control panel. After double checking the stabilizers, he reluctantly turned off the screen.

Grabbing ahold of the leather chair arms, Joker pushed himself carefully up. He glanced over to the empty spot next to him, before continuing to limp down towards the elevator. As he walked down the lighted hallway, he noticed all the empty chairs and blacked out computers. The rest of the crew was already downstairs, waiting. Gently clicking the '2nd floor' option, Joker braced himself against the steel elevator wall as he began to descend. Resting his forehead on the cold metal, he closed his eyes momentarily, collecting himself. Ding. "Crew Deck" The automated voice stated. The soft sound of the elevator doors opened, followed by an eerie silence.

Outside the elevator doors stood the entire crew, surrounding the memorial wall. Two columns ran down the board, filled with names in white lettering. _Ashley Williams. Miranda Lawson. Thane Krios. Legion. Mordin Solus. Steve Cortez. Admiral Anderson. Edi._ Joker quickly looked away from the last one, and continued to read on. The names just went on and on. All of them were friends. All of them had families. They would all be remembered. Every single one. The crew bowed their heads in respect to those they had lost.

Joker tried to stick towards the back of the group, wishing to spend this tragic moment alone. But Liara spotted him even before he had left the elevator. She slipped her small, blue hand towards him and pulled him towards the front. Garrus and Tali stood together, their hands intertwined, foreheads touching. James stood just to the left, his arms crossed across his broad chest, his face was blank. Traynor was just in front of him, her eyes low to the ground, fingers laced together. Swallowing hard, Joker tried to contain himself. He focused on the emergency guiding lights on the ground. Suddenly, the swooshing of a door filled the lower deck and everyone looked up.

Kaidan stepped through the doors of the observation deck, his head hung low. When he finally looked up, most of the crew could barely look him in the eyes. His complete misery was so painfully clear, his eyes drowning in sadness, his lips pursed together. In his hands, he held a long plaque - the reason why everyone was down on the crew deck.

Kaidan didn't really see anyone as he walked towards the memorial, everyone was just a blur of colours. As he got nearer to the board, his hands began to tremble. Stopping, Kaidan looked up at the board, at the names of his friends and colleagues. And then to the empty spot, that tore away at his soul - eating it whole.

Some members of the crew began shifting their feet, the silence making them feel extremely awkward. Realizing what they were expecting, Kaidan opened his mouth to speak, his back still facing the crew. "Comman-" His voice broke. Coughing, he tried again. "Commander Shep-." Choking on his words, he stopped again. He ran his fingertips across the white letters, feeling the crevices.

"I," He choked again. "I can't do this." Gripping the plaque in his hands, Kaidan ran towards the elevator. Before anyone could even look back at him the doors were shut.

Once inside Kaidan slumped into the side of the elevator, letting out the smallest of cries. He just stood there until he heard James just outside of the doors say, "Shit. Someone should see if he is okay." Not wanting that, Kaidan quickly clicked a level on the navigation panel, and then once again slumped his body but this time to the floor.

He kneeled there for a moment, his shoulders dropped and hands shaking before a small ding, and a female voice said over the intercom "Commander's Private Quarters". Pushing himself clumsily off of the ground, Kaidan wandered into her room.

Everything was the same. Just as they had left it, just a few nights before. The glasses still sat on the coffee table, the smallest amount of whiskey left in one of them. Data pads scattered across her desk. A small pile of her clothes on the floor. The sheets still tangled on the bed from when they clumsily woke up.

Locking the door behind him, Kaidan placed the plaque on her desk. Placing his hands on the glass display above it, he admired the model ships that were placed inside. A small smile spread across his face, remembering how excited she would get when she bought a new model. Then his smile turned sad, as he realized she would never get to complete her collection.

He stepped down the stairs, and moved towards the bed, sitting on the edge of it. Bending down, he untied the laces of his boots and kicked them off. It felt so good to be out of them. He decided to take off his entire uniform, sick of looking at it. Harshly removing his clothes, Kaidan fell back into the bed automatically rolling over to his side.

He laid there for a moment, on top of the sheets, staring outside the window at the paradise they had stumbled upon. Kaidan thought about how much she would have loved this mysterious, little haven. He soon shook the thought and began absently searching for the tangled sheets under him. Pulling them over top of his bare chest, Kaidan breathed in deeply. All he could smell, was her sweet, sugary perfume. Closing his eyes, he just breathed it in, letting the sadness just overcome him.

She was gone. He lost her. Again. Kaidan replayed the last words they shared, over and over in his head.

"_You gotta get out of here! Don't argue with me!_" She had said, with her eyebrows furrowed.

"Why didn't I go with her? Why did I just let myself leave?" Kaidan said out loud, his eyes flashing open. He slammed his fist into the headboard above him, hating himself.

Gritting his teeth and blinking fast, Kaidan forced the tears that started to form in the corners of his eyes away. But one slipped past, and he felt a hot tear roll down his cheek and drip off of his face. More tears slowly fell down his cheek, but he just merely wiped them away, realizing as of now, he was not strong enough to keep them at bay. The anger slowly drained out of his body, leaving him feeling bankrupt inside.

With his body empty of anger and grief, exhaustion and pain suddenly hit Kaidan like a fist to the face. Every muscle was bruised and strained. A few bones even screamed for attention, possibly broken. A pounding throb began in his head. His chest felt heavy, and his eyelids even heavier. Deciding that he would rather not remain awake during this, he accepted the exhaustion gladly and slipped into a deep sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Mounds of rubble, and shard materials floated in the air as biotic teams used their powers to dump them into large, yellow bins stationed on the decks of the Citadel. It had barely been a year since the repairs from Sovereign's attack had been completed, and now they were being redone again. Work was a lot quicker, and swifter this time around. It was not even a week since the Crucible had been fired, and the Citadel was almost ready for civilians and soldiers to seek refuge in.

The Presidium and Embassies were focused on first, as they would obviously have the most traffic. With the help of so many numbers, both were cleaned up easily. All that was left was for the emergency supplies and storage to be accessed, and then refugees could begin to settle in.

That, and dealing with the Crucible. Many of the scientists were still confused on what exactly had caused it to fire, and research of it was not only desired but necessary in order for them to understand. A small team of biotics was sent up to begin to clear a path for the scientists.

"We need to start research immediately! I don't care if I have to crawl over a bit of rubble!" An impatient Salarian scientist said. A team of thirty scientists had gathered around the entrance to the Crucible, gear in hand.

A human soldier standing near the entrance crossed his arms. "There is barely anything to see! It was all blown up, I don't know what you are expecting to f-"

"Major Harvard." Another human soldier stepped forward, and saluted him. "Admiral Hackett has just sent in his approval for the scientists to begin research on the Crucible."

"Oh." The Major's face turned red. "Well, then I guess go on ahead. Watch out for the biotic kids." He said, shaking hands with the lead Scientist.

Flashing an excited smile, the Salarian gestured for his team to follow him. The mixed group of scientists clutched onto their kits, and carefully began climbing over the wreckage. For obvious reasons, this part of the Citadel was a total wreck. Metal columns laid across the ground, live wires sparking. But three ramps seemed to be mostly intact, leading up to the now stagnant Crucible. The team decided to stick to the main ramp, before splitting off into the left and right paths.

A young asari peered over the edge of one of them, and found herself looking through a glass ceiling into a room. Craning her neck, she tried to get a better look inside, at the pool of dried blood that sat on the floor. She jumped when a voice behind her spoke. "That's where we found Admiral Anderson's body." It was another human soldier on guard.

"Oh. I was just wondering what was in the room. I'm sorry." The young asari said, bowing her head down.

"We think that him and Commander Shepard were at the control panel when the Crucible was fired. Most of the blood down there was her's."

The young asari twisted her face confusion. "Well where is Commander Shepard?"

"MIA." The soldier let out a sigh, and then turned away from the ledge. The young asari looked out at the sky, admiring Earth's beauty before rejoining her team.

"The columns are no longer intact. The explosion must have destroyed them." A dark haired man said, his glasses pulled down to his nose as he stared at the center of the Crucible.

"But what caused it to explode up here? Nothing was damaged on Earth. Well ... other then the synthetics of course." A member kicked up a piece of rubble, scanning it with her omni tool.

"Yes, that is exactly what I was thinking." said the lead Salarian scientist. "When the Crucible was being built the main core and control panel were completely stable. But the energy chamber, that was never 100% stable. Especially because we never knew what the Catalyst was until ... well we still don't!" He almost laughed at the end.

"Scientists.." A biotic muttered, shaking his head.

"We should look at the energy chamber then, if it was the most likely to cause the explosion. Perhaps their will be shrapnel from the Catalyst." The young asari proposed.

The team nodded in agreement, and began to make the trek over towards the path to the right. The rubble had not been touched here, and a few glowing ambers could even still be found. Pulling out their omni tools, the scientists began to scan the rubble, searching for any signs of the Catalyst.

Focusing on the scanners on her omni tool, the Asari momentarily lost her footing causing her to trip and fall. She quickly tried to put her hands in front of her, scrapping and cutting them. "Ouch." She hissed, as she lifted her hands.

"Hey, watch it!" A woman yelled, as she ran over to them. She was quite the sight, half of her head shaved, tattoos covering every inch of exposed skin. "You okay?" She offered her hand to the asari woman on the ground.

Hesitantly, the asari took it and gritted her teeth as she stood up. "Thank you." she said, bowing her head to human.

The woman just laughed. "We tried to tell you guys we should clean up more. But you're just all so god damn impatient." The asari smiled at the strange woman, and began scanning again, more aware this time.

_Beep. Beep._ A scientists omni tool suddenly vibrated, and began he paused. "What the hell..." Bending over, he used his hands to dig through a layer of rubble before reaching his hand down. When he pulled it back up, his hands were wrapped around a pistol. A couple of scientists let out gasps.

"Why," The Salarian stumbled over his words in confusion, as he spoke faster and faster. "Why would it be here? No living activity up here. Crucible activated below."

"Maelon, calm down." The dark haired man grabbed his shoulder to comfort him.

The biotic woman with the strange hair and tattoos walked over. "How about I just lift some of the rubble? Maybe you'll find more?"

Maelon nodded, and stepped back to allow her through. The biotic planted her feet apart and began to slowly raise her hands, a layer of rubble moved with them. With a small flick of her hands, the rubble was pushed away towards the pile on the open deck. She did this several times before a scientist stopped her.

"Wait! Did you see that?" Pointing in the distance. "There! Did you see it?" He started heading over to wherever he pointed, walking with his heels.

The group exchanged some looks, before curiously following him. When they reached him, the scientist was crouching down with his omni tool out. "I don't know what you expect to fin-"

_Beep. Beep._

"No way." He said, not moving. The Salarian scientist jogged over next to him, and knelt down. Grabbing the man's right hand to get a better look, the Salarian let out a sound of utter shock.

Turning around to the rest of the group, he simply states. "It seems as if - he has found life."

"What?" One of the soldiers on guard, began jogging towards them. The biotic woman, and a young human followed him. The scientists began to back up off of the ramp, their curiosity now replaced with the smallest twinge of fear.

By the time they reached where the two scientists crouched, they had already begun digging through the rubble carefully with bare hands. The soldier pushed passed them and used his armored hands to push more away, until he suddenly felt the brush of metal on metal. A piece of white armor shone through the rubble, with a small red symbol on it that was known across the entire galaxy - N7. The soldier could not believe his eyes. "Holy shit." They all began brushing more away frantically, until a body was revealed.

A straggled half piece of armor laid on top of the mangled body of Commander Shepard. Her face was covered in bruises, and her hair was sticking to the blood on her face. Her body looked broken, and her left arm bent at an extremely awkward angle. But there was the smallest of movement in her chest, and the occasional flutter of her eyelids.

"Get a medical team now!" The soldier shouted.

The biotic woman with the strange tattoos fell to her knees, "Shepard?"

"We need a medical team!" He screamed again, more panic in his voice now. One of the scientists finally shock their head, and jumped back into reality. They ran towards another one of the soldier, waving her arms frantically.

Placing a finger to his left ear, the soldier patched into communications. The faint sound of a woman talking could be heard, but he interrupted her mid-sentence. "I need to be patched into Admiral Hackett immediately. We found Shepard."


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

The moon casted a white light through the large windows, building shadows and reflections. All that could be heard was the slight hum of the ship's engine and deep breathing. A pile of clothes sat near the edge of the bed, and dishes were stacked on the night tables near by. Two empty bottles of whiskey sat next to them, their caps absent.

A slight movement came from the bed as Kaidan rolled over onto his side. Yawning, he stretched out his arms and his eyes flickered open. He found himself staring at her deep brown eyes. He blinked. She was still there.

"Rose?" Kaidan whispered.

She just smiled lazily, and propped her head up with her hand.

"I don't - " He was so confused, and he could feel his heart tugging.

"Shhh." She whispered, placing a finger over top of her full lips.

He laid there in silence, staring at Rose. All he could think was how radiant she looked, her skin almost glowing, her long lashes casting shadows on her cheeks. She stared right back at him, eying the scabs littered across his jaw, and the bruises that laid underneath his eyes.

"How are you here? I don't underst-" Kaidan began again. But she just shook her head again, letting out her giggle that few have ever heard before.

He smiled at the sound. Placing his head back on the pillow, he looked at her one more time before sighing contently and closing his eyes. Finally, he was able to lay next to her again, his heart was content - who cared about his mind.

* * *

Downstairs on the Command Deck, Specialist Traynor stood at her station. Tapping her fingers on the metal desk top in boredom. There was nothing to do, no messages, nothing to scan. Just nothing. They had been waiting to dock for five hours now, just circling the Citadel waiting patiently. Traynor could only imagine how much Joker was enjoying this.

All the rest of the crew was in their quarters, packing up there things just itching to get off of the Normandy and see their families. She thought about what she had to pack - a toothbrush, and an Alliance cotton tee shirt she won during poker. Letting out a sigh, Traynor pushed herself away from the computer and walked the few steps to the elevator.

Just as she pressed the button to the call for the elevator, a white flash came from her computer, which was then followed by 3 consecutive rings. Jogging back over to her desk, bold red lettering flashed on the screening. It was a priority call. The letters read, "Calling - Ad. Hackett."

"Oh shit." Traynor muttered. Quickly signing in, she cleared her voice before answering the call. "Admiral Hackett, this is Specialist Traynor."

"Traynor, I need to speak with Major Alenko." Hackett's voice sounded urgent, maybe a little panicked.

She paused, that was going to be tricky. Kaidan had only come out of Shepard's private quarters to get meals. He wouldn't look anyone in the eye, he would just grab a plate after everyone had already finished and go straight back upstairs. During the silence Hackett spoke again.

"I need Major Alenko now." The last word was strong, and final.

"Of course Admiral, he will meet you at the Vidcom." Traynor said, a little taken aback by Hackett's tone. Scrolling through the list of intercoms, she found the Commander's Private Quarters channel.

"Kaidan, Admiral Hackett wishes to speak to you on Vidcom. It's urgent." No reply. "Kaidan?" The line remained silent.

Sighing, she scrolled through the list again and stopped at the Main Battery. "Garrus?"

"Oh, Traynor. What's up?" Garrus coughed. A small giggle came from the background. "Tali, shhh."

More embarrassed by them, Traynor awkwardly apologized. "Sorry, but I have Admiral Hackett on the line. He says he needs to speak with Kaidan."

"And let me guess, no reply from him."

"No. Could you - try convincing him?" Traynor heard Garrus let out a sigh. Then he let out a grunt of agreement.

"Thank you Garrus." Traynor ended the call.

* * *

Garrus looked back at Tali, his eyes low. "I'll be back." He walked through the doors, his shoulders low.

He had wanted to avoid this moment, having to finally talk to Kaidan. They were friends yes, but there's only so much pain someone can handle to bear. Garrus was having a hard time, realizing that his oldest friend would no longer be walking by his side on missions or be the butt end of his jokes. It was harder for him then he made it seem though. But Kaidan, he had just lost his entire world even though Earth was saved. And no amount of claps on the shoulder, and medals would change that.

Usually the elevator on the Normandy was slower then hell, but it seemed like he had barely put a foot in and he was already standing outside the doors of Shepard's room. He decided to knock, just to be polite. But the moment he touched the metal, they slide open.

It was dark inside the room, but Garrus's turian eyes helped him see. It was a mess, clothes everywhere, dishes piled up. But other then that, it was just as she had left it. Heck, the room even still smelled like her a bit.

"Kaidan?" Garrus spoke quietly. A small movement came from the bed, and then suddenly there was light. He found himself staring at Kaidan, leaning over the side of the bed to the table lamp sitting on the nightstand. He looked Garrus up and down before collapsing back onto the pillow.

Walking carefully down the stairs, picking up clothes that hung of the railing. He grabbed some more clothes, before giving up and tossing them onto the gray couch behind him.

"Okay Kaidan," Garrus rubbed his eyes. "I know how you feel." Kaidan blinked at him.

He began pacing back and forth, "I get it. I understand. But - but you can't do this to yourself. Rose wouldn't want you to do this."

Kaidan sat up in the bed, his shoulders hunched forward. He almost winced at the sound of her name. The light played off of his face, not only showing his swollen eyes and scabbed skin, but the haunting look in his eyes. Licking his lips, he spoke "How - how would you know that?"

Pursing his lips, a wave of anger flashed over Garrus. "Damn it Kaidan, I loved her too!" As soon as the words left his mouth, he stopped dead in tracks not believing what he had just said.

Kaidan turned his head and stared at the bright lamp, his jawline set. There was a moment of silence between the two before Garrus broke it with a cough.

"Well, Admiral Hackett wants to talk to you on the vidcom if you're up to it. If not, I'll just take it." He turned away from, and began walking back up the stairs.

"I'll be right down." Kaidan muttered, moving the sheets of him.

Garrus looked back at him, as he crawled out the bed shirtless. Kaidan's body had it worst out the entire crew. The scabs on his face continued down his left side, bruises littered his chest. Garrus chewed his lip before he spoke again, his tone a little bitter. "Good." Grabbing a hoodie, he threw it at Kaidan before walking out of the room.

Kaidan grinded his teeth and he put his sore arms into the hoodie. As he finished pulling the sweater over his head, Kaidan found himself staring at his reflection through the dark window. Glancing at the reflection of the bed one more time, wondering if he would see her there again. But there was nothing but empty sheets. Disappointed he looked down at the floor as he walked out of the room. Cracking his neck, and licking his lips he waited impatiently for the elevator to arrive.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

Pinching his nose, Kaidan waited as the line connected. His thoughts cycled rapidly, from what Garrus had said to his vision of Rose. He had just began shifting his feet back and forth, when suddenly a projection of Admiral Hackett appeared. Quickly saluting him, Kaidan then placed his hands on the console staring at the orange buttons, waiting for Hackett to speak.

"Major Alenko - Kaidan, I don't know how to tell you this..." Hackett paused.

Kaidan didn't look away from the console, he just waited for him to speak again. Waiting for more bad news.

"We found Commander Shepard." Hackett finally spitted out. He breathed out the last part. "Alive."

Kaidan felt his heart miss a beat. His eyes looked up first, then followed by his entire body. "Alive?"

Hackett gave the young man a small smile,"Yes. She is in Huerta Memorial Hospital, room 27."

"Thank- thank you sir." He could barely get the words out, his mind was winding.

"And Kaidan?" Admiral Hackett called out before he stepped away from the vidcom, "It's not pretty - it was close."

Kaidan swallowed hard and nodded.

Beep. And the call ended abruptly, without Hackett even saying his trademark goodbye. Pushing himself up, Kaidan wiped his face with his shaking hands. It felt like his heart had traveled up into his throat, choking the words out of him. His mind was racing, before it stopped on one final thought. _Get to her. Now._

Kaidan's feet slapped the ground as he ran through the war room, and directly through the scanners, pushing past Private Campbell and Private Westmoreland. As he ran, it felt like his chest was caving in on itself, his lungs screaming. But Kaidan ignored it, only feeling the pounding in his heart.

Joker sat in the cockpit, his head resting against the top of his leather chair. His eyes were closed and his mouth was in a grimace. His hands that usually were glued to the console in front of him, sat folded together in his hands. Footsteps could be heard clanking against the metal floor, and Joker opened his eyes slowly. With another slow blink and sigh, he turned his chair around.

The two men looked each other for a moment - both understanding instantly. But Joker noticed a glint in Kaidan's eye as he leaned up against a support beam, catching his breath. A punch line popped into Joker's head, to point out Kaidan's sudden reappearance. But he knew it was uncalled for. There was a difference between having douche bag humor and just being a douche bag. So instead he sat there, hands folded and waited for Kaidan to speak.

Kaidan gritted his teeth one last time before he huffed, "We need to land, immediately."

Joker let out a laugh. "Yeh, well that ain't gonna happen. Half of the galaxy is trying to land on the Citadel right-"

"No. Now." Kaidan had finally caught his breath, and his voice was stern.

A little taken aback by Kaidan's seriousness he raised his eyebrows in shock.

Noticing his reaction, Kaidan stumbled over his words to explain himself. "Admiral Hackett was on the vidcom. He told me, he told me.."

"You sound like Mordin when he gets excited, spit it out." Joker thought it was funny at first, but then he realized that he would never hear Mordin's excited rants ever again, and hung his eyes low.

Taking a deep breath, Kaidan tried to collect himself. "Admiral Hackett, he just informed that... Rose is alive." It was the first time he had said it out loud.

"What?" Joker blurted.

"Rose - she's alive. On the Citadel." Kaidan explained, letting out a happy sigh. But then his eyebrows crossed, and his mouth formed a hard line. "I need to get there."

Before the words were out of Kaidan's mouth, Joker had already turned back around his chair. His hands sped across the oh-so familiar screen as he patched in the Normandy to a Citadel docking officer.

"This is Flight Lieutenant Moreau, of the Normandy SR-2 asking for permission to dock." His voice was stern, eyes were set on the communications channel box on the screen.

Moments later a woman spoke, her thick, British accent echoing through out the cock pit. "This is Officer Marchand, but I cannot grant the Normandy permission to dock Flight Lieutenant. I'm sorry."

"Shit." Joker muttered. "It's been likes this for days. I don't know how we can get on the Citadel."

"I do." Kaidan reached over Joker, and hit the communications channel. "This is Major Alenko of the Normandy, requesting permission for a priority dock."

"I am sorry Major Alenko sir, but there is just no possib-"

Kaidan cut her off. "I'm a god damn spectre, am I not? Now you let me on to the Citadel. And that's an order." His voice had turn into a low growl. The hairs on the back of Joker's neck stood up as Kaidan made the demand - he had never heard Kaidan speak like that.

"Of course sir. Emergency port B7 is now empty." The officer breathed, before ending the connection.

Joker looked over his shoulder at Kaidan, who had covered his mouth with his hand. Giving each other nods, they both returned to the task at hand. Joker began to slowly turn the ship around towards the Citadel, cutting through the lines of Turian and Alliance ships that surrounded them. As he began to turn some dials, Kaidan grab Joker's shoulder. "Tell the rest of the crew, let them grab their things and get to their families ok?"

"What about you?" Joker asked.

"I'll be wherever she is." Kaidan said simply, before turning around the corner.

"She's alive." Joker whispered to himself. "Got nine lives this one."

The airlock doors were still sealed shut. Kaidan stood in front of them, practically jogging on the spot. At least his breathe was steadier now. He could not say the same for his heart. It was pounding like he had just ran a marathon.

Time seemed to slow down as a blue light flickered one, and the sealed medal doors creeped open. The pure oxygen greeted him like an old friend, and he gulped it in. The doors were barely open before Kaidan squeezed through them, and began jogging towards the nearest elevator.

Since it was an emergency docking station, the ramp lead to a priority elevator that traveled directly to the Huerta Memorial Hospital. Kaidan looked up the glass tower, which was surprisingly unharmed. The night sky was reflected in the glass, but the glow off the lights just caused the stars to shine brighter. White tents had been stationed down the left side of the ramp, were nurses rushed from soldier to soldier. It didn't seem as chaotic as he thought it would be. But since half of the entire galaxy's population was in one system, it seemed logical. Mankind and it's new friends, were getting all the help they needed.

Stepping into the elevator, Kaidan pushed the button for the top floor. Irritating music began playing once the elevator started gently moving, but he just blocked it out. Running his fingers through his hair, Kaidan counted each floor as they past impatiently.

"Huerta Memorial Hospital - top floor." said the AI.

Once again, Kaidan squeezed himself through the barely open doors, and then stepped out on to the grey tile, his heart racing.


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

The Huerta Memorial Hospital was packed. Patients were being treated in the entrance to the hospital, all the way into reception. Kaidan could barely hear himself think, with all the loud bustling, reassuring voices of doctors, beeping of machines. It all seemed so incredibly hectic. But just like it was outside, it was still somewhat organized.

An asari nurse ran by Kaidan, her omni tool out. He grabbed her wrist softly, pulling her back towards her. She stopped at his touch, "Yes?"

"Um, room 27?" Kaidan asked. His voice sounded shaky again.

The asari took her hand back from out of his and pointed towards a set of white doors to the left. He nodded a thanks to her, before they both rushed away from each other in different directions. Squeezing past a reuniting Turian family, Kaidan waited for the doors to open. "Spectre status recognized."

Once the doors swung closed behind him, the muffled sounds of the hospital entrance rang through the very silent, and empty hallway. He stared down it for a moment, before he realized where he recognized it from. He had stayed in one of these rooms, with the big windows and the great view of the Presidium. Swallowing hard, he began walking down the hallway past the rooms. He glanced at the number on top of each door as he walked.

_1. 3. 5. 7._

"It's not pretty - it was close."

Kaidan remembered what Hackett had said. But how close? Brain dead, like when Cerberus has found her? Fear washed over Kaidan like an ocean's wave.

_9._ 11._ 13. 15._

She couldn't keep on doing this to him. Keep cutting it so close. His heart couldn't handle much more of this.

_17. 19. 21. 23._

He started walking faster as he reached the twenties.

_25. And 27._

He stopped outside of the room, his eyes blurring. Peering into the window Kaidan's eyes finally focused. It was a large room, all windows and white walls. Machines were scattered across the room, all of them on - flashing and beeping. His eyes stopped on the figure laying underneath a white sheet on a bed that sat in the middle of the room. Wires and clear tubes Three doctors crowded around the bed. One's hands were moving up and down. Squinting Kaidan saw that he had a large syringe in his hand.

Quickly looking away, he watched as another doctor walked towards a trolley, with a small metal tray on the top. Her eyebrows were pushed together, concern covered her face. She wiped her eyes with a gloved hand, before grabbing onto small vial. When she looked back up from the tray, her large blue eyes met with Kaidan's through the window. With a gasp, the vial shattered onto the floor.

There was a whoosh of a door opening, and Kaidan turned around to see the doctor, who stood in the open door frame.

"I'm sorry," He whispered, not wanting to speak loudly in the silent hallway. "I didn't mean to scare you."

The woman ignored what he said, and stuck out her hand. "Doctor Carter." Though her voice was professional, the concern he had saw on his face before was still there.

"Major Kaidan Alenko." He took her hand and shook it. He peered around Carter, and into the room.

"Of course. Admiral Hackett told us you would come." The corners of her mouth turned up, into a sad smile.

"Is she... Can I see her?"

"No. Commander Shepard is about to undergo surgery any minute now."

Biting the inside of his lip, Kaidan was suddenly reminded of after Eden Prime. Waiting by her bed in the med bay, watching her eyes flutter and lips quiver. Rose was still just his Commander then, but his concern and pain watching her like that was just as sincere then.

"Alenko?" The doctor stared at his blank face.

Blinking back to reality Kaidan asked, "Well, is she okay? What's the surgery for? If I can't see her at least tell me what's going on."

The doctor looked back at the other doctors before she spoke. "Commander Shepard - she is in rough shape. I.. don't want to worry you though.."

"It's killing me not knowing what's going on. Please." His eyes pleaded with her.

"Most of the left side of her body - it was crushed during the explosion of the columns of the Crucible. Her arm, shoulder and ribs are all broken. The side of her face, her cheekbones, eye socket - they all need to be replaced. The Cerberus implants that were mentioned on her med report, seemed to be rattled. They seem to be affecting the healing process of her internal organs, which luckily are only bruised."  
Kaidan's eyes fell to the floor as the doctor listed the injuries.

"But from a quick scan, her brain functions only seem slightly above average. The activity is possibly due to the replaying of memories while she is the coma." She grabbed onto Kaidan's shoulder gently, "It will take time before her body is healed, but eventually she'll be okay we believe."

He looked down at her hand on his shoulder, "How long? When will she wake?"

"A maximum of a month for her body to completely heal. But we are not sure of when she will wake up.. coma's are extremely complicated, even with the technology."

He swallowed hard, and opened his mouth to speak but someone else spoke before him. Garrus walked quickly down the hallway a backpack on his shoulders, and two black duffel bags in his hands. "Well?"

Kaidan glanced at Garrus, his mouth in a hard line.

The doctor shook her head, "I'm sorry but her surgery is about to commence. I have to ask you two to leave."

"Okay." Kaidan breathed, as he turned around.

"Here," The doctor pulled out her omni tool. "I'll let you know how it goes." She gave him a small smile before rushing back into room 27, leaving Garrus and Kaidan in silence in the hallway.

Garrus looked him up and down, before he spoke again. "I found some apartments. I got you one."

"Thanks." Kaidan muttered.

"They're pretty nice too. It will be nice to sleep in a real bed for once hey?" Garrus's tone was light.

"I guess." Kaidan sighed, and then took the black duffel bags from Garrus.

"Let's get out of this place. It's too bright and the smell is making my nose burn."

The two men walked out of the hospital together, but their body language was extremely different. Kaidan's shoulders were low, matching his eyes that hadn't left the ground. His knuckles white, as they clutched onto the bags in his hands. While Garrus, though tired, walked tall, his eyes with the smallest glint in them.

When they reached the elevator Garrus checked his omni tool, before the elevator dropped, gently moving down to the Presidium Commons. Reaching into his back pocket, Garrus handed Kaidan two small cards. "Keys to the apartment. I got two, you know, one for you and one for Shepard."

Kaidan paused, looking down at the two cards.

"Kaidan," Garrus spoke, noticing the look on his face.

"Don't." Kaidan growled. He took the cards just as the elevator doors opened. He slipped through them without another glance at Garrus.

Garrus watched Kaidan through the crowd of people in the Commons, until he slipped out of sight.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6 _

The lights clicked on as the doors slide open to reveal the apartment. It was a modern space - concrete floors, bigs windows looking out into space. Kaidan dumped the duffel bags on to the leather sectional that sat in the middle of the living room. Picking up the universal remote, Kaidan went to click to close the blinds before he noticed the view. From this part of the Citadel, Earth could be seen perfectly, her beauty dulling out the stars and ships that surrounded it. Tossing the remote back on to the couch, Kaidan decided to keep the blinds open.

He took more of the apartment in, and noticed the kitchen tucked into the corner. His stomach rumbled, as he eyed the refrigerator. He wandered over to it, and found that it was stocked with produce. Not in the mood to cook Kaidan opened some of the black cabinets, and he found them fully stocked with boxes and cans. He grabbed a yellow box, that seemed to be crackers. Ripping the box open, he shoved a few of them into his mouth.

Brushing the crumbs from his hoodie, he walked towards the archway down the hall from the kitchen. It lead to a bedroom. A large bed sat in the middle of the room, new sheets draped over it. He sat down on the corner of it taking the room in. He looked back at the other side of the bed, the side that would remain empty for a while now.

Pushing himself off of the bed Kaidan walked away from the bed. All he did on the Normandy was sit in bed, thinking. Now he felt restless, maybe even a little angry again. Cracking his neck, Kaidan pushed another door open, revealing the bathroom. The first thing he saw was the shower, and it yelled for him to jump in.

Kicking off his boots, Kaidan slide off his pants and shirts, tossing them to the floor. As he turned the shower on, he ran his hand underneath it before stepping in. He let the hot water fall over him, the steam rising up, fogging up the glass sides of the shower. As he massaged his neck, he felt the tension release out of him. Having a shower was a good decision, and he didn't really want to turn it off. But as the water turned colder, he tapped at the console - shutting the water off.

Shaking himself off, Kaidan stepped out on to the concrete floor. He looked down at his dirty clothes on the floor. Kaidan quickly ran naked out of the room and into the living room. Standing there shivering, he grabbed one of the duffel bags and zipped it open to grab a pair of pants. But instead he pulled out one of Rose's shirt. Garrus must had packed both of their stuff for him, before leaving the Normandy.

Reaching into the other duffel bag, Kaidan found a pair of his boxers and he pulled them on. He then sat down, his head resting on his arm, his wet hair soaking the couch. He looked down at Rose's bag on the floor, and then pulled it over to him.

He began pulling out the contents of the bag. Some shirts, a couple pair of pants, her N7 hoodie that matched the one that sat on the bathroom floor. A dress. _A dress?_ Kaidan thought. He had never seen her wear it. To be honest, he barely saw her in anything other then her armor and her underwear - which he really didn't mind at all. Smiling at the thought of Rose in a dress, he decided to turn the bag upside down, dumping the contents onto the couch.

A bottle of her perfume, and a small bag of cosmetics fell out. He remembered the one time he saw Rose wearing make up, when they had dinner on the Citadel. She was a natural beauty and definitely did not need to wear it, but knowing that she put it on just for him, it made him feel special. A small bunch of lace also fell out, which Kaidan unmistakably recognized as her underwear. Lastly, there was a digital frame that had been turned off. Clicking the top, Kaidan turned it back on and found himself staring into his face.

Tali had snapped the picture, back in 2183 - their first year on the Normandy. The crew decided to all have dinner together, and before they knew it whiskey was being poured into everyone's glasses by Garrus. Ash had had a little too much, and had begun to impersonate Wrex, standing on her chair to give her that extra height. Everyone thought it was so funny, but Rose she just laughed and laughed. It was the sweetest sound he had ever heard. She had invited Kaidan to sit next to her that night, and as she threw her head back laughing he watched in awe, the hint of a smile playing on his face. That's when Tali captured the moment with her omni tool.

Though her face was masked, you could tell through her voice that Tali was smiling. "Watch it Kaidan, there's regs you know." Embarrassed, Kaidan's face flushed and he looked down at his folded hands on the table. But Rose reached across and gently squeezed one of his hands, and winked at him before going to separate Wrex and Ash.

Clicking the frame off, Kaidan's reflection shone back at him through the black screen. She got a copy from Tali. He smiled at the thought of Rose having a frame of him on her desk. He tossed the empty duffel bag across the room, and stretched his arm towards his own bag.

It's content were not as exciting, as they were so familiar to him. Some cotton shirts, boxers, a pair of slacks. A watch, that he had received for his 18th birthday. He rubbed the face of it, as he remember that night - his first "legal" drink. Shaking his head at the memory, he reached into the bag and grabbed a hold of a datapad. He had picked it up on a shore leave, so he could make personal calls - mostly to his mother.

He slide it open, unlocking and the screen lit up. His inbox was empty, as was his voice mail. Rubbing his chin, Kaidan dialed the number for home. _"Please pick up. Please pick up._" The thought repeated in his head until his mother's voice came on the other line. His heart sank when he realized it was a voice mail.

"Hi there you have reached Callie and Lucas Alenko. Sorry we are not available right now, please leave a message and we will try to get back to you. Xièxiè!"

_Beep_. Sighing Kaidan, waited a moment before he spoke. "Mom, its me. Please, please call me. I'm okay. I just need to know if you and dad are alright. Just.. just call me. K," He coughed, "Bye."

Rubbing his temples, Kaidan laid back onto the couch. He could feel one of his migraines coming on. Tossing the datapad into the pile next to him, Kaidan closed his eyes thinking about those he cared for most in the world who weren't sitting next to him.


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter 7_

A mist filled the air, collecting just above the forest floor. Gloom was huddled in groups, casting silhouettes. Bare trees stood, their branches reaching for the ground. While dead flowers and grass swayed in the dry breeze. Leaves left the dying trees, escaping into the wind. They fluttered around Rose as she turned her head, taking in her surroundings.

Confused, she looked down at herself. She was wearing an unfamiliar white dress, that fell past her knees. Grabbing the hem, she rubbed the soft material between her thumb and finger.

"Rose..." The whisper echoed throughout the forest eerily. She whipped around, trying to find the voice she knew anywhere. She looked for him, scanning the trees when she saw a blur move.

Suddenly, a little boy peered around the side of a tree trunk, his nails digging into the dead bark. Rose opened her mouth to speak, but the boy's eyes widen and he pushed away from the tree, sprinting.

She began to follow him, her bare feet crunching the grass that laid beneath her her. But she moved at an unbelievably slow pace, like running through water. Her eyes searched for the little boy, but all she could see was tree upon tree.

More figures began to move from behind trees, forming groups of silhouettes, who simply watched as she ran by in slow motion.

"Don't leave me behind..." It was his voice again, echoing.

Rose flung herself around, searching for both of them. When she saw a flash of white, the little boy hugging his knees in between two trees. As she approached him though, his mouth opened in fear and he scrambled up and away from her. Leaves trailed behind him as he ran. Moving her legs at the same sluggish pace, Rose followed him, keeping her eyes glued to the little boy.

"Shepard..." This time it was a chorus of voices, of all those she cared for. Their haunting voices caused the hairs on the back of her neck to rise up, and send at shiver down her spine. She had lost sight of the little boy again.

Following her gut instinct, Rose followed the path to the left. She nearly tripped over the boy, as she ran around the corner. He dodged out of her way, and rolled to his feet. He looked back at her as he ran away, his white sweater now covered in dirt and leaves, and then suddenly vanished.

"I love you..." It was the echo again.

"Kaidan!" Rose screamed, knotting her fingers into the dress that clung to her frail body. "Kaidan.." She sobbed his name. Her knees buckled, and she fell to forest floor. She laid there for a moment, letting the dry grass brush up against her face, before she raised her eyes and found herself staring at the dirty back of little boy's white sweater.

He was kneeling with a man and a woman, their arms wrapped around the boy's tiny waist, their heads pushed together. Rose picked herself up, her hair falling into her eyes. The leaves under her crunched as she got up, and caused the little boy to look behind him. He stared at her for a moment, his face blank before he tugged on the sleeves of the man and woman. They both turned around slowly, revealing their faces to Rose.

She stood their in confusion, her eyebrows pushed together, mouth twisted. She was looking into the light brown eyes of Kaidan. The corners of his mouth pushed up, as he looked to his left. Rose blinked as she then looked over to find herself, kneeling down, hugging the little boy. Rose let out a breath, so puzzled by the scene in front of her. Suddenly, the forest around her began spinning. The treetops blurred, and the misty grey sky consumed her.

Oxygen filled into her lungs, like water when drowning. She began choking, but she forced herself to try and speak. "Kaidan..." She coughed. She tried to move her arms, but only her right one moved. Bringing it towards her face, she felt a slight tug at her wrist. Squinting, Rose opened her eyes but the bright light still blinded her. Blinking several times, she tried again, her pupils shrinking. The light only poured into her right eye, as she looked down at her wrist that had several clear tubes running into it. One filled with white, one red, another a strange orange.

"Kaidan." Her voice was a scratchy whisper.

"Oh my god. She's awake." It was a man's voice - not Kaidan's though. This one was unfamiliar.

"What?" A woman spoke now. Rose had closed her eye again, the effort of keeping it open was too much.

"Look!"

"We need to sedate her. I don't think she is ready yet." Beep. Beep. Beep. "Her heart right is climbing. Better safe then sorry." There was the sound of metal clinking, then a haziness seemed to wash over Rose. With one last sigh, she slipped back into sleep.

Doctor Carter watched as Commander Shepard drifted back of into the medically induced comma. The beeping machine had slowed down, matching her now steady heartbeat. The other doctor came up behind her, scrolling through a datapad.

"Her brain activity was off the charts."

"She was dreaming." Carter simply stated.

"Maybe a nightmare? She hasn't had any brain activity like this before." The doctor was shaking his head as he looked at the numbers. "And look at her rapid eye movement," He pushed the datapad into Carter's hands. "It's nothing like we recorded before from her."

"I think she is ready to wake up, that's all." Carter didn't even look at the datapad, instead she placed it on the top of a the heart rate monitor. She bowed her head to the other doctor, before exiting the room. Bringing out her omni tool, she scrolled through all fourteen unread messages that Major Alenko had sent throughout the week.

She began typing out an email, thinking of how to word it before she deleted the message all together. Clicking the call button, the doctor raised the omni tool up to her mouth and waited. It rang twice before he picked up.

"Hello?" He sounded out of breath.

"Hello Major Alenko, this is Doctor Carter I'm sorry if this is a bad time-"

"No, no! What is it?" He interrupted.

"Well, I wanted to inform you that there was no complications during the surgery." The Doctor focused on keeping her voice very professional.

"Oh, that's great news. Thank - thank you." He stumbled over the words, obviously relieved.

"And her implants seem to have accepted the repairs we did to them. Cerberus's technology is quite unbelievable honestly."

Kaidan let out a bitter laugh.

"In my professional opinion, I believe that she will be awake any day now." She paused. "I think it will be good for you to come and see her tomorrow."

"Re-really?" He stuttered again.

"Yes. Today, a memory seemed to trigger her. Her brain activity was off the charts, and she even spoke." The doctor explained.

"What, what did she say?" His voice cracked a little.

"Kaidan." The doctor simply said.

The doctor listened as he let out a sigh of happiness. "I think if you were there, it might cause her to wake up prematurely. But her body is ready for it, I believe.

* * *

"I'll be there tomorrow. Thank you doc." Kaidan ended the call, a warmth spreading through out his body. He braced himself on the edge of the stone counter tops in the kitchen and he let out another sound of happiness.

_Buzz. Buzz._ The vibration came from the circular dining table. Kaidan wandered over to it, the bottoms of his sweat pants slowly trailing on the floor._ Buzz. Buzz._ The metal of the datapad, against the glass table caused the volume of the vibration to increase. Sliding it open, the call picked up immediately.

"Hello?"

"Kaidan?" It was man's voice, very deep and rough.

"Dad?!" Kaidan exclaimed.

Lucas Alenko breathed out a laugh. "Hi son."


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter 8_

The elevator doors opened, to reveal the entrance to the Huerta Memorial Hospital. The sun shone through the window, casting a golden glow to the usual, white and sterile walls. The once crowded reception hall, was now only filled with patients checking out with their families behind them holding their things. Nurses and doctors now only worked in the patients personal rooms, and shifts were more organized allowing for the exhausted staff to get some rest.

It was nearly two weeks since the Battle for Earth. News reports claimed that most of Earth had been cleaned up, save few obscure locations that the humans could handle just fine by themselves. Several of the mass relays had been repaired completely, allowing for most of the ships that could handle long distance travel to finally leave the Sol system. The council was meeting regularly every day, where a peace treaty was being signed by all of the galaxy's species. Elections were proposed to occur in the home worlds of the Krogan, Quarians, and surprisingly, Batarians, once the races were comfortable and ready to rejoin the Council Embassies. Hope was spreading throughout the galaxy, and into the hearts and homes of every species. In unity, the strength of the galaxy was impossible to ignore.

Kaidan clutched the bouquet of white flowers in his hand. His knuckles the same colour as the flowers in his hand. He was so anxious to see her, this moment was all he had thought out for the past week. The night before he had videoed with his parents, and retold his story of the Battle in London. While they talked his father noticed the disappointment in Kaidan's voice as he told them of his evacuation from London.

"You shouldn't be ashamed of having to leave the battle Kaidan. You would have died if you stayed."

"It's not that - I don't know. I didn't like having to say goodbye to her that way. Watching her walk away." Kaidan's eyes were low as he spoke.

"It never is son." Lucas had looked over at his wife, Callie. "Well, Rose seems like quite the woman. I'm glad that she's okay." His father gave his son a reassuring smile. Kaidan had told his parents about her grave injuries, and her surgery as soon as his mother slyly asked about her. He ended up talking to them for most of the night, and by the time their vid chat finally ended there really was no point going to sleep. Exhaustion had creeped into his body as he left the apartment, but he simply ignore it.

As Kaidan walked through the doors of the private rooms, the weight on his shoulders lifted a little. His parents were at home, safely sitting on the deck nursing beers. He smiled at the thought, wishing so badly that he could be there with Rose. Even though his mind was at rest because he knew that his mother and father were now reunited, his heart still yearned for Rose. He waited impatiently on the bench just outside of room 27 for one of the doctors to come and greet him. His eyes followed the lines of the tiles on the floor, killing time.

Doctor Carter took of her gloves and jammed them in her pockets as she walked out through the sliding metal doors. She saw Kaidan waiting on the bench, flowers in hand and smiled. "They're beautiful, she'll love them."

Kaidan raised his eyes as she spoke. He let out a laugh, "I hope so, it took a lot to get them here." His fingers gently traced the petals of one of the flowers. "They're her favorite."

They stared at the flowers in silence for a moment, before the doctor spoke again. "Her implants kicked in again late last night - her stitches are healing at an alarming rate. It's like nothing I've ever seen before." She moved beside him, showing Kaidan the numbers, that had absolutely no meaning to him, on her omni tool. "I think that if I can replicate the Cerberus technology, I could create similar implants for the Alliance."

"That - that would be great.' Kaidan gave her a polite smile.

"Well," realizing he was uninterested in her medical studies, she stepped away from him, "she is still sleeping but we turned off the sedative hours ago. If our calculations are correct, she should be awake any moment now." Kaidan stood up as she spoke, nearing the doors to the room. "I'll be next door if you need anything."

"Of course. Thank you." Kaidan gave her a reassuring nod. He waited until the doctor had stepped into the other room, and then walked through the door. He took the room in, the bright white lights and floor to ceiling windows. He looked through it and noticed the view was not even half as brilliant as the one featured in their apartment. His heart leapt at the thought of being able to show her.

A faint beeping could be heard from the sole machine attached to her. Kaidan's eyes followed the clear tube until his eyes reached the delicate wrist it was attached too. His heart fluttered at the sight of her, and he felt like he could barely contain himself. Grabbing one of the desk chairs, he rolled it over to the hospital bed. He sat down on the edge of the chair, before he looked at her face.

Her eyes were closed but they fluttered slightly, causing the shadows casted by her lashes to dance across her face. He noticed a slight inflammation near her cheekbones, probably caused from the surgery just a week before. The light from the window scattered across her face, her olive skin practically glowing. Her dark hair stuck to the nape of her neck, and then draped over her prominent collarbones. Kaidan reached for her right hand carefully but then thought better of it. It seemed so frail, and fragile - he didn't want to break it. Instead he delicately lifted the white sheet that was wrapped around her.

White medical was wrapped tightly around her chest, covering from her breasts down to the end of her ribs. A giant line of stitches ran down her left forearm, the same with her left thigh. But they were not grotesque. Kaidan imagined the scars that would soon replace them. He had never thought of scars as an unattractive thing, and Rose's scars had always had a special place in his heart. Folding the sheet back over her, Kaidan's eyes returned back up to her face.

Her swollen lips had opened slightly, and she let out the smallest of sighs. "Rose?" He whispered, standing up to get closer to her. He placed the bouquet on to the chair behind him, and carefully braced himself on the bed. "Rose?" He asked again softly.

But her lips had closed again, her eyes no longer fluttered. Disappointed, Kaidan moved the flowers onto the ground before collapsing back into the chair. He placed his elbow onto the soft mattress, and propped his head on his hand. His fingers massaged his hair, as he watched Rose's sleeping face. Kaidan felt his eyes begin to droop as he watched her, his eyelids becoming heavy. He blinked several times, before they finally closed.


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter 9_

Kaidan's head slipped out of his hand, and the rush of the movement abruptly woke him up. He took in a sharp breath, and placed a hand over his eyes, blocking out the bright lights of the hospital. His ears perked up when a sweet sound echoed throughout the room. A quiet giggle. His caramel eyes flicked open, and he found himself staring straight into Rose's twinkling eyes. A smile spread across both of their faces. A small sound escaped out of Kaidan's mouth.

"Why didn't you wake me?" He asked, pulling himself closer to the bed.

"Didn't have the heart." She replied slyly. Her left eye was slightly closed, still caught in the shadows of the room.

Kaidan let out a laugh, before his smile turned sad. He reached for her right hand, placing his lips on the back of it. A tear formed in the corner of his eye.

"I know. I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'm sorry that I put you through this again."

Blinking the tears away, he interlaced his fingers with her. "Don't. We're both here, that's what matters."

A tear rolled down her face at the sight of his, she moved her head to the side, resting her cheek on the pillow. "Can I just say one more thing though?"

Kaidan nodded, squeezing her fingers.

"It was the hardest thing I've ever done." Her voice croaked.

He raised his curious eyes, and met hers. "What, firing the crucible? Walking into death?"

"Saying goodbye to you."

Kaidan couldn't bear it any longer. Reaching over he placed his lips gently on hers, tasting the salt of her tears. Tucking a stray piece of her hair behind her ear, he cupped her face looking at her closed eyes.

She kept them closed as she spoke again, her eyebrows furrowed together - like she was in pain. "Out of any mission, any decision - I never want to do it again. I'm never saying goodbye to you again. Ok?"

Kaidan touched her forehead with his slightly, and nodded.

"Ok?" She repeated, her voice broke again on the word.

"Of course." His thumb brushed away her tears. "I'm not going anywhere Rose."

Her heart fluttered at the sound of her name on his lips. She pushed her lips to his, hungry for his kiss. They kissed gently, before a thought flashed through Kaidan's, and he pecked her soft lips once more before, reaching down to the ground. He sat down back on his chair, and placed the bouquet onto her covered lap.

A small gasp escaped out of her mouth. "Kaidan.." She propped her head up on the pillow some more. "Peonies?"

Kaidan nodded, a smile spreading across his face.

"I can't believe you remembered."

During the Normandy's first visitation to the Citadel in 2183, Rose brought Kaidan and Ashley with her before she spoke with the Council. They wandered around the vast city, all of them in awe of it's beauty. Ash had asked if they could go down to the market, so she could get her sister a tacky gift. Once the three of them had reach the market place, Ash excitedly ran away towards an alliance booth leaving Kaidan alone with his Commander.

He walked behind her, his hands folded behind his back, still embarrassed about his slip up earlier. Even though she was his Commanding Officer- he was still a man, and he couldn't help but watch her hips sway as she walked ahead of him. Her figure was still so defined, even with her bulky N7 armor on. It took a lot of effort for Kaidan to not bite his lip at the sight. While distracted by her figure, Rose had spoken to him. Kaidan's face flushed red, and he asked her to repeat herself.

With a cheeky smile, she spoke again. "They have a memorial of Earth store." Then she turned on her heels, and entered the store. Kaidan followed her in like a lost puppy. It was filled with the usual touristy things - miniatures of famous landmarks, globes, photographs. But it was also filled with imports - fish, some food items, even flowers. He found his Commander standing in front a stand filled with bouquets. Her small fingers were running over the delicate petals of a white flower.

"My mom used to send me these on my birthday when I was a kid, when she was on duty. I loved getting them so much." She said simply, before moving down to the next aisle. Kaidan flipped the tag over, noting the name of the flowers before following her.

"Of course I did." His lashes brushed his face and his cheeks flushed as he remembered the memory. But his ears perked up, and eyes flashed open as he heard Rose wince. She had leaned forward to grab the peonies off of her lap. Practically thrusting himself off of the chair, he reached for her but she waved her hand at him casually. He dragged the chair even closer to the bed, as she spoke.

"S'okay." She tried to force a small to spread across her face, as she carefully laid back down onto the pillow.

Kaidan placed his head on the edge of the bed, on top of his arm. He so desperately wanted to be as close to her as possible, but this would have to do for the moment. With a deep breath, Kaidan savored the moment - her sugary scent, her warmth and her soft touch. She had raised her hand, and ran her fingertips over his cheek feeling the scabs and tender bruises that decorated his face. Moving up, she gently ran her fingers through his jet black hair. Kaidan's body relaxed at the action, and his heart fluttered. They both laid there, their breath low and deep.

Suddenly, the doors to the room slide open and the thud of footsteps echoed throughout the room. Neither of them looked over to see who it was, rather both of their eyes lingered on each other. But Kaidan's shoulders hunched over when the person finally spoke.

"Sleeping beauty finally woke up hey." A low, scratchy voice rang through Kaidan's ears.

Rose looked up, a smile spreading across her face. "Good one Garrus. Very original." Sarcasm soaked her voice.

"Yeah, I stole it from Vega. I don't even know who Sleeping Beauty is." The two of them laughed, while Kaidan's mouth formed a hardline. He refused to turn around and greet Garrus. He listened as Garrus walked closer to the bed, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw talons place a bottle of whisky on the night stand.

"We'll save that for later." Garrus cheekily said. Then he patted Kaidan on the back, "Hey bud."

Kaidan's eyes flicked up to Rose's, before he forced a civil smile onto his face and looked up to Garrus looming over him in his chair.


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter 10_

Rose ran her fingers through her hair, before slipping the hair tie off of her wrist and placing it in a ponytail. It seemed like this day would never come, but she was finally getting discharged out of the hospital. Licking her lips, she began to crack her knuckles nervously. It was a month now since she had fired the Crucible, and she had spent all of it in the hospital - that seemed to be cut off from everything else, a perfect snow globe within the Citadel. She had no idea what to expect when she left. Kaidan had filled her in on what he could, but he spent just as much time in the hospital as she did.

Rose's ears perked up, as the doors to the room slide open. Doctor Carter walked through, her short blonde hair tucked behind her ears, a datapad in her hands. She looked at Rose, who's eyes turned eager. "So, last day huh?"

Rose let out a soft laugh. "It sure is. Thank god."

"Well, a few things first. I figured you wouldn't want to go through reception, so here sign this." Doctor Carter let her take the datapad out of her hands. She continued to speak, as Rose signed. "Analgesic has been delivered to the apartment address that Major Alenko provided. I need you to take them daily, at least for the next two weeks."

Rose nodded, placing the datapad next to her on the bed.

"Okay well then, any complications you know where to go. Major Alenko is waiting near the private elevators to avoid the journalists." She turned on her heel and began to fiddle with one of the large, white machines, her body language awkward.

"Thank you Doctor Carter. You don't know how grateful I - we are." Rose thought of Kaidan, as she reached for the doctor's hand. "I'll keep in touch."

Rose then walked into the familiar hallway, looking left and right scanning for anyone. When the coast seemed clear, she began to walk carefully down the hallway, limping slightly. Even with all of the rehabilitation over the past week, her left leg was still stiff, and unfamiliar. As she neared the doors near the private elevators, Rose felt her heart beat faster. The doors slide open past her, and revealed Kaidan, leaning up against a white wall. He had a small messenger bag slung across his body.

Noticing Rose, he pushed himself off of the wall, and they met in the middle of the room. Almost instantaneously, their fingers interlaced. They didn't say a word until they walked into the elevator, and the metal doors sealed behind them. As the elevator shifted downwards, Kaidan moved his face to hers, planting the softest of kisses on her lips.

He smiled tenderly, and then dug his hand into the messenger bag near his hip. He pulled out a black hoodie, and held the sleeves open as Rose slide her arms through. She pursed her lips as she fully stretched her left elbow, but didn't let Kaidan see. Rose didn't have to look down at the emblem on her chest, to know which sweater it was. Just from the mere softness of the fleece inside, and the familiar smell she knew.

"Ready to go home?" He said, finishing zipping the bag back up.

"Hell yeah." Rose paused for a moment, thinking. "Is it the same..."

Kaidan seemed to have read her mind. "No, its not your apartment from before. It was destroyed, repairs to that part of the Citadel haven't been completed yet."

She looked down at the ground, slightly disappointed. She had liked that apartment, or more so the memories she had in it.

"You'll like this one though, 'cause its ours." Kaidan's eye had a small twinkle as the words left his mouth.

"Presidium Commons." A voice spoke through the elevator speaker. Kaidan pulled the hood of his sweater over his head, and Rose matched his action. They both stole a glance at each other, before they interlocked fingers and stepped out of the elevator.

Rose's knuckles tightened after her first steps. The commons was filled with people, and compared to the quiet of her hospital the noise hit her like a slap to the face. Kaidan pulled her away from the crowd of people, and spoke in a low voice. "Pretty crazy huh? Never seen more people in one place at once."

She looked back over her shoulder at a group of humans, filing through galactic maps. One of them caught her eye, and they did a double take. "Hey, was that - ?" Rose whipped her head back around, and started walking faster. Even before all of this, she had never enjoyed the attention of being Commander Shepard - it was unsettling. Now she could not even imagine what it would be like, but as of right now she did not want to stick around to find out.

Kaidan noticed her increased pace, and nonchalantly looked around them. It seemed that some of the civilians had noticed, but luckily none of the cameras had. As they reached a staircase, Kaidan wrapped his hand around her waist taking some of the weight off of her leg. Rose leaned in to him, feeling her leg lock as she forced it to slightly bend up the stairs. She kept her eyes on her feet, concentration etched on her face. It wasn't until she felt Kaidan's hand leave her waist did she look up.

He fumbled around in his pockets, before pulling out a square white card. He placed it between his white teeth, before grabbing ahold of Rose again. By the second staircase Rose was sweating. She had down all of the necessary rehabilitation, but it couldn't have prepared her for these staircases. "Here we go." Kaidan said through gritted teeth. Shaking, she reached the top and leaned up against the cold wall.

"You ok?" Kaidan said, as he pulled the card out of his mouth. Rose nodded unconvincingly. He flashed the card in front of the door, which activated a voice.

"One moment." An artificial female voice said. They waited patiently before it spoke again. "Spectre status recognized." A green light flashed, and then the door slide open.

"That took a while." Rose breathed.

"Yeah, the scientists whipped up some fast prototypes after the Crucible you know - " He trailed off.

"Right, forgot." A lump formed in her throat, but she shook the thought out of her head.

As they stepped inside, lights automatically flickered on. "Welcome home." Kaidan smiled. He dumped the messenger bag on the floor, next to a glass table pushed up against a wall. He kicked his shoes off, and knelt down to untie Rose's. She looked down embarrassed, but thanked him anyway. Kaidan brushed his hands on his knees as he pushed himself off of the ground, and walked out of the small entryway. Curious, Rose followed him in.


	11. Chapter 11

_Chapter 11_

Lights lit up the large, open apartment. Basic art framed the walls, and dark furniture was placed across the floor. It wasn't as grand as her old apartment, but it was still a sight to see. A large sectional sat in front of a large, sleek television. She stepped down into the living room, and ran her fingers over the smooth material of the couch.

Her eyes followed Kaidan, as he pulled off his sweater and wrapped it around the back of one of the chairs that sat around a round, glass table. Opening the shiny, refrigerator doors, he reached in and pulled out a beer. He cracked it open with his bare palm, took a swig and placed it onto the kitchen counter top. Rose had wandered over to the opposite side of the counter, and was leaning against the corner of it watching him.

"What do you think?" Kaidan asked.

"Its," Rose looked behind her again, taking in the little details of Kaidan's presence over the past few weeks - his leather jacket hanging up near the door, a few empty glasses on the coffee table. She noticed a duvet, and a pillow pushed onto the concrete floor next to the couch. "It's great."

"You know what's probably a good idea?" He said, taking another swig of his beer. She raised her eyebrows at him as she unzipped her hoodie. Kaidan continued, "You should go have a nice, hot shower."

Rose smiled at the idea. She had been allowed to shower twice at the hospital since she was awake, and both times had been cold and uncomfortable.

"Come on." He beckoned. They walked through an archway, and into the bedroom. Kaidan kept the lights off, until they reached the attached bathroom. Lights flickered on, revealing a luxurious shower, and two sink basins. With a flick of his fingertips on a console, water began flowing from the shower head. He ran his fingers under it for a moment before flicking them dry.

Rose began to shimmy out her pants cautiously. She used her feet to kick them off, as they reached her ankles. She stood in her underwear, awkwardly trying to pull off her shirt. "Here." Kaidan offered. He gently pushed Rose's arms up and tugged her shirt over them.

"Don't have to much fun without me." He winked. Rose let out a giggle, and finished taking the rest of her garments off, tossing them to the floor. Stepping back from her, Kaidan quickly placed his lips on hers before the door slide quietly behind him.

Stepping into the shower, the water fell over Rose's body like a waterfall. She hadn't had a real shower since before her last mission on Earth. Running her fingers through her hair, she felt it untangle and tickle her shoulder blades. Spinning around she let the water run down her back, and she began lathering her body with white soap suds. She stood there for a moment, letting the water run down her body before she stepped out - the water automatically turning off.

Grabbing the towel that sat on the corner of one of the sink basins, Rose wrapped it around her body carefully. She rubbed the soft material against her skin absently, before dropping the towel and looking at herself in the mirror.

It was the first time she had truly seen her body post-war. Her Cerberus implants had finally kicked in last week, rebuilding the tissue, making her scars from her surgeries slowly disappear. Veins and muscles seemed to slightly jump out of her skin, giving a toned shape to her figure. But at the same time, she looked so thin- her collarbones popping out, ribs showing, something that still puzzled her to this day. Small dark circles laid under her dark brown eyes, and her damp, messy hair framed her tired face. None of these were new, Rose couldn't remember the last time she looked into the mirror and didn't look tired. It was just apart of being in the Alliance. She looked the same, and hopefully within a couple days she would feel the same too. But for now she just wanted to feel Kaidan next to her, no matter how she looked.

Rose looked down at the clothes that sat in on the bathroom floor. Thinking better of them, she rewrapped the towel around her and walked out into her dark, new bedroom. She fumbled around in the dark until she finally found the console. Lights slowly hummed on, but they were dim - spreading a golden glow across the room.

Two duffel bags sat on top of a slick dresser. Rose dug through them but found they were empty. Opening the drawers below them she found clothes folded neatly inside - hers on one side and Kaidan's on the other. She ran her hand over the silk of her one dress, placed on top the neat pile of clothes before gently closing the drawer. Turning around she faced the bed.

It was modern, with a big headboard, attached night tables. A frame sat on one of them, but it was turned off. Curiosity filled Rose, but it flickered away when she noticed the bed. It was bare - except for the crisp, white sheet that laid on top of the mattress. There was no wrinkle in the sheets, like no one had slept in it. She thought of the duvet and pillows in the living room, and a wave of sadness hit her. Kaidan had slept on the couch the whole time. She felt pain spread through her stomach at the thought of Kaidan sleeping in this big apartment, all alone this entire time. Wrapping an arm around the top of her towel, securing it in place, she walked back out into the main room.

Kaidan had moved onto the couch, laying across it with his head on the side arm. He adjusted himself as Rose sat down in front of him on the edge of the cushion. They sat in silence for a moment, staring at the muted tv with banners of news flashing across. _Mass Relay Update: repairs complete. Council News: meeting on a daily basis. Commander Shepard: recovering in Huerta Memorial._ Kaidan rubbed her back as they read the last banner, sliding across the screen.

Rose leaned into the gesture, and laid down next to him. He leaned over to edge of the couch, grabbing onto the white duvet and throwing it over them, before wrapping himself around Rose's body. His hand wrapped around her waist and grabbed hers. She twisted her neck around and they kissed each other, gently at first but then harder. They both had longed for this moment for weeks now. Rose had to force herself to push away, "Kaidan.."

"I know love." He kissed her lips tenderly one last time, and Rose buried herself into his neck and clung close to his body. She could feel his muscles rippling underneath his thin, cotton shirt and was getting drunk off of his scent - his musky cologne, beer on his lips, even the smell of his leather jacket lingered on him. She felt a pounding through his chest, matching up to the beat of her own fluttering heart.


	12. Chapter 12

_Chapter 12_

Sunlight drenched the room, painting the white room a golden yellow. Warmth spread onto Kaidan's cheekbones, causing his tawny skin to shin slightly. His eyelashes fluttered as he woke up, but his eyes remained shut. Little pink and purple spots dotted the inside of his eyelids. His hand stretched out from underneath his pillow, reaching next to him. His fingers ran across the cold, empty sheet. He reached out further, and still found nothing.

Kaidan's eyes snapped open - his pupils adjusting to the sunlight that poured in through the window just above the headboard. His heart pounded as he looked over at the other side of the bed which was still empty. Panicking, Kaidan tore the sheets off of him revealing his half naked body. The contents on the nightstand clattered to the ground as he used it to push himself up off of the bed.

The sheets tangled around his feet, but he stopped when he heard the bedroom door slide open. His caramel eyes flicked up and he found them staring at pair of tanned legs. His eyes followed them up until he reached Rose's face. They stared at each other for a split second before Rose's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "Hi?"

Kaidan fell back onto the bed, his knuckles tightening around the sheets as he pulled them back over his bare chest. He flipped over onto his side, his back against her. The mattress sink slightly, as Rose climbed back into bed. The rattle of pills in a container echoed through the room, and then a cough as she choked some down. Then silence filled the room, the only sound was Kaidan's huffing.

Then he finally spoke. "You know, how I always tell you to wake me when you're up?"

"Mhm." Rose listened carefully to his tone.

"It's not just me trying to be cute." His craned his neck to look at her as he spoke again. "Rose, every time I wake up and you're not there..." Twisting around in the bed, he revealed his entire face to her. "When I wake up and you're not there sometimes I start thinking that ... maybe I'm just dreaming or something, and that really your still dea-" He choked on the last word.

"Kaidan.." Rose slide her arms around him, moving her face closer to his. "I'm not going anywhere. Ever." She touched her forehead to his, their thick eyelashes brushing each other. "I'm all yours."

He let out a sigh. "I just want to wake up every day and the first thing I see is you."

Rose blinked back tears, and pushed herself into the comfortable place of crook of his neck. They laid like this for a moment before Kaidan pushed himself up a bit. "Come on, here." He reached over to the datapad that had fallen onto the bedroom floor and placed it in front of them. He opened up the extranet, and together the scrolled absently through the news on the front page. The page suddenly refreshed, and the screen scrolled all the way back up to the top, showing off a new headline, "Commander Shepard Up On Her Feet!". A large photo was beneath the title, it was of Kaidan with his head down, eyes low, his black hoodie swallowing his face whole. And of Rose, glancing up through narrowed eyes as she limped forward. But it was enough, it was clearly of her.

"This should be interesting." Kaidan murmured.

Rose sighed loudly, this is not how she wanted to spend today. Within seconds, Kaidan's datapad was vibrating with calls and messages. At first they were just from the team -Tali and Liara asking them if they could stop by, James asking when the party was. But Garrus's message was bitter, _"Thanks for telling me."_ was all it read. Kaidan wasn't sure if the hostility was supposed to be only directed at him or not. Then more random contacts whirled by on the screen as he ignored them. "So this is what it feels like to be famous." A soft laugh left Rose, as she watched the names scroll by. Suddenly a name flashed across the screen that caught her attention. Scrolling back up, she clicked on a call from Councilor Sparatus.

Kaidan flashed her a look before they both sat up straight in the bed, and waited for the call to connect. A muffled cough came through the speaker, before the Turian spoke. "Major Alenko?"

"Yes, this is him." Rose had to bite her tongue to stop herself from laughing at Kaidan's casual tone.

"I'm sorry if this is an inappropriate time... but we have received conformation from Huerta that Commander Shepard has been released from their care."

Kaidan shook his head at the pointless statement. _No shit._ He thought. "Yes she was."

The Turian seemed to notice Kaidan's impatience. "I apologize if this is a bit of a personal question, but - is she with you? Admiral Hackett seemed to believe that this was the best way to contact her."

"It's cause it is." The conversation fell silent until Kaidan spoke again. "She's right here."

"Oh, Commander Shepard?" Sparatus questioned.

"Councilor Sparatus." Kaidan noticed how different her voice sounded. Usually in situations like this, with him, it was so soft and easy going. He had rarely heard it's razor sharp edge used off of the battlefield.

"First, it is great news for the entire galaxy to know that you are safe."

"Thanks." Rose mumbled, not really knowing what to say.

"I'm just gonna cut the bullshit ok? The Council is meeting today, with some possible candidates and future party members joining in." A little twinge of satisfaction seemed to soak his words. Rose waited for him to speak again. "Shepard, we all know that the meeting would be pointless if you weren't there."

She stole a glance at Kaidan, who had been fairly quiet up until this point. He shrugged his muscular shoulders. She paused once more before she spoke. "We'll be there."

"Oh, both of you?"

"Yes. Do you have a problem with that?" Even though Sparatus could not see her, Rose's eyes smoldered.

"Oh of course not." He was taken aback by her tone. Stumbling over his words he continued. "All Spectres are welcome to this meeting of the Council."

"Great. See you then." The call dropped. Rose pushed herself up farther on the bed, letting her back arch forward, and shoulders slouch. She was sure that if she wasn't on analgesic she would be wincing. Gentle fingertips brushed her hair away from her back, pushing it up against her neck. Kaidan pressed his hot cheek to hers. "At least we had one day to ourselves I guess." She mumbled.

"Oh there'll be more, don't you worry." He's voice was low, suggestive growl and with a wink he climbed out of the bed. He flashed her a cheeky smile, as he pulled on a pair of black trousers.


	13. Chapter 13

_Chapter 13_

A stiff collar pressed up against Rose's neck. The back of the chair she sat in was uncomfortably straight and was made of a cold, hard metal. She looked across the U-shape table, at Kaidan whose hands were folded neatly in front of him. Everyone sat in alphabetical order, much to her chagrin. She would rather not have to sit in between Councilor Sparatus and a petite human politician. Rose felt eyes flicker to her, and the murmur of her name float between ears. But the hushed conversations ended as Councilor Sparatus stood up, placing his talons on the table top, bracing himself. Two cameras, that sat in the middle of the table, powered up and began recording the moment he spoke. "I'm sure that most of you by now have noticed the presence of our two human Spectres."

Rose rubbed her face, keeping her eyes on the table top. The Turian then looked down at her, "Commander Shepard, I believe it's time for you to inform us of what really happened with The Crucible, yes?"

Her eyes flicked up to look across at Kaidan, who seemed just as curious as the strangers that sat around them. She found Admiral Hackett, sitting several seats down from Kaidan. He gave her a stern look, and a head nod - telling her to continue. Rose swallowed hard before she opened her mouth to speak.

"I'm going to assume that it's during the push to the Citadel that everything got quiet, right?" She cracked her knuckles on her left hand before pushing herself up, addressing the room.

"Once the shuttle we were in landed, our orders were to sprint for the Citadel - make it to the beam. The path down was treacherous, Reaper's were throwing Mako's around like they were softballs, ships and soldiers ducking from the Harbinger's beam. My team was doing the same, trying to make our way down, follow our orders. But an explosion from a falling Mako hit Major Alenko... I called in the Normandy for an evac." The image of Kaidan flashed in her head - his hand reaching out for her, blood splattered across his blue armor, pain etched into his face as she walked away from him on the Normandy's ramp.

"So it's true that you sent your team members Garrus Vakarian and Kaidan Alenko away from the battlefield during the highest priority mission?" Councilor Esheel spoke, her tone was impolite.

"Yes ma'am." Rose's lips pursed together. She hated that Salarian bitch.

"You saved their lives. No soldiers were found alive down there. It was deadly." Admiral Hackett said. Rose didn't need the reassurance though, the proof that she made the right decision was sitting across from her.

Kaidan wished he was standing next to Rose, so he could put a hand reassuringly on her. But he just watched as she stood up as straight as she could, her face blank.

"And then?" Councilor Sparatus' curiosity overcame him.

"I just ran, as fast as I could... and I was dodging Mako's, dead soldiers, husks, but then... Then I got in the middle of an explosion - I think. It's kinda hazy. My armor was burnt off, I - I could barely stand. No one around me was alive, just some husks."

"When I finally reached the beam, I was sent to this area of the Citadel. I'm sure not sure where it was still to be honest. Anderson contacted me on my earpiece, he had made it up too. I felt like death... but I kept on moving - following this dark hallway. I got cut off from Anderson - he wouldn't respond. I reached this area, Anderson was in there but-" The memory flashed back to the circular room, Anderson's indoctrinated body, the Illusive Man's cold voice latching on to her.

"The Illusive Man had beat me there. He had been indoctrinated by the Reapers, they were using him like a puppet. He had some kind of control on Anderson and I - I couldn't move. The Illusive Man forced my pistol up and aimed it at Anderson. We both tried to talk him down but the trigger was still pulled."

"After that, the Reapers grip on him seemed to loosen. I tried to convince him again, to not be indoctrinated and to fight them. But he just shot himself in the temple right there, saying that he tried. Obviously then, he had no control over us. I opened up the Citadel arms on a console." Rose had gotten lost in the memory again, forgetting to speak.

"That's when we docked the Crucible. But what happened after that?" Hackett noticed her absence from the present.

Rose choked before she spoke again. "Anderson and I - we both sat down. He could barely keep his eyes open, and it wasn't too long before he -."

"Then I got through on your ear piece. The Crucible wasn't firing. Something wasn't right on your end." It was Admiral Hackett again. Everyone watched the two speaking, heads turning left and right looking at the different sides of the table.

"I tried to make it to the console. But I could barely sit up, my arm-" She grabbed onto her left arm, rubbing the elbow. "Might as well have been unresponsive. I think I passed out before I could even tap any keys."

"Then I was woken up by the sound of a child's voice. I didn't know where I was." A flash of the child's face that haunted her dreams flashed before her eyes. "But there was this AI hologram, telling me to wake up. It said it was in control of the Reapers and that it had the solution to chaos." The faces that sat around her began to fall, their mouths opening.

The words that the AI Child had said rang in her ears - it would be a long time before she could forget them. No one needed to have them haunt them like they did her though. She paraphrased the conversation she had with the mysterious child. "It explained this solution, regarding the continuous chaos between the synthetics and the organics. The Crucible was could be fired in three different ways, to destroy, to control or to synthesis."

Silence fell across the entire room.

"I had to make a decision. I fired at the power conduit, or energy chamber.. whatever it was. It took a lot of shots. I remember the first five, and then the beginning of an explosion. Then it stops." She stood there for a moment, fists clenched. Camera's red lights flickered, and people's breathe stopped. "Well, you all know what happened after that." She collapsed back into her chair.

"The galaxy will never be able to express our gratitude to you Shepard, for making that crucial decision. We will forever be in your debt." The soft voice of Councilor Tevos echoed throughout the room.

"It wasn't only me."

"That is true. But the galaxy would look very different today if it was not for you." She gave her a polite smile, but it seemed honest. "Thank you for your words, I know they were hard." Looks of awe were casted upon Rose again, making her shift awkwardly.

A Quarian woman then spoke, her suit changing her voice slightly. "If it is possible I would like to address the unsolved issue with the artificial intelligence. At our last meeting the situation with the Geth's reconstruction was settled. And now after the completion of the repairs to the mass relays, I believe that the same scientist and engineer teams should be able to focus on rebuilding the basic AIs that we have all become accustomed too."

Pain jolted through Rose's body, causing her to squeeze her eyes shut, making her knuckles turn white. It seemed like the Cerebus implants had finally burnt of her painkillers. The conversation about the future of AIs slowly faded away, the only sound going through her ears was the pounding beat in her head. Closing her eyes, she let herself slip away just for a moment.


	14. Chapter 14

_Chapter 14_

His footsteps echoed through the corridor, as James paced back and forth. His fingers were wiggling with excitement, a cheeky smile was spread across his face revealing his perfect white teeth.

"You are enjoying this too much Vega." Garrus said. His arms were crossed, clearly annoyed by the situation.

"This is the most excitement I've had since London amigo! Let me be." James shook off the comment.

Tali was on her knees in front of a metal door, her omni tool out. Her fingers were waving over top of it quickly as she worked to unlock the door. Suddenly a red light flashed, and a loud beep blared out. "Boshtet! Would you two shut up? I'm the one doing all the work."

"What am I doing then?" Liara stood behind her, a datapad in her slender, blue hands.

"You know what I mean." Tali shrugged, she glanced at Garrus before returning to her omni tool.  
Even though Garrus couldn't see her face through her suit, he could feel the glare she gave him. He wouldn't know if it was actually because he didn't want to participate in their plan, or if it was because he hadn't spoken her for almost a week. But his gut told him it was the latter. Avoiding the situation, he spoke again. "Does Shepard even like surprises?"

"Who doesn't like surprises?" Liara said, shaking her head at him.

"I just don't think it's a good idea..." Not with everything going on, Garrus finished the sentence in his head. He wasn't entirely sure how Shepard would react to them breaking into her new home to surprise her. Especially after being in the hospital for the past three weeks, and a meeting with the Council for the entire morning. Kaidan would probably be light hearted about it and laugh, until he saw that Garrus was there. It seemed like Tali wasn't the only one who had harsh feelings towards him at the moment.

"One more and we are in. We should let C-sec know how easily we broke in." Liara smirked as she looked up from her datapad.

James clapped his hands together. "Could you imagine the look on their fac-" He stopped mid sentence and turned his head towards the stairs. The sound of footsteps echoed on the metal stairs, and throughout the hallway. But they sounded irregular, and slow. James held his breath, trying to keep a sly smile from sliding across his face. A part of him hoped that they got caught.

"What the hell?! Thanks for the invite bitches." Joker wheezed out as he reached the top of the stairs. His hand clutched to the railing on the side, while he caught his breath.

James let out a chuckle, "Sorry Joker, must have gotten lost in the mail."

"Yeh yeh whatever Vega." He waved his hand at him as he limped over to Garrus. "What the hell are ya'll doing?"  
"I am not a part of this." Garrus said, a voice practically a growl.

"Uhhh.. okay." Joker made a face.

Tali closed her omni tool down and turned to him. She rolled her eyes in Garrus' direction before speaking. "We thought we would surprise Shepard. But the door was locked."

"Was locked." Liara said cheekily.

"So you guys broke in..." Joker questioned. Tali nodded simply. "That's fricking awesome. This could be a little bit of pay back for when she used me as bait at the Sushi restaurant!" But his voice fell as they heard a familiar laugh down the hallway. It was a sound they could all recognize, but it was rare. There was a slur of words from another voice followed by Rose's laugh again.

Liara reached to activate the apartment doors open, but Vega shook his head. "No point now." They all shifted their weight, getting ready to explain themselves to Shepard. Well except for Garrus, who still leaned against the corner, his arms crossed tightly around his body. His black eyes turned down as she walked up the stairs.

Rose wore a tight, navy dress shirt, her dark hair was tied away from her face, framing it perfectly. Her fingers were interlaced with Kaidan's, who's eyes were glued to hers. Garrus watched as confusion crept across Rose's face as she saw them all lingering outside of her apartment door.

"Ummm.. hi?" She said, her eyebrows pushed together.

Vega and Joker let out a laugh as they took in her face. "Surprise." They both said, shrugging their shoulders.

Rose let out another laugh, but it didn't seem as genuine as the ones that had just echoed down the halls moments before. "Come on in." She nudged Kaidan's side, and he reached for his keycard.

As he motioned towards the door Tali let out a small cough. Then she waved her hand in front of it and slide open. "Heh, I got it." She hung her head and stepped into the apartment.

"Did she?!" Rose exclaimed, but Kaidan just tightened his grip on her fingers, keeping her from running after Tali.

"Let it slide love. They're just having fun." He raised his eyebrows, his caramel eyes shining at her until she nodded in agreement. She shook her head, letting out a sigh before walking to the apartment. Kaidan let the rest of the guys in before, and Garrus trailed in last. He waited to feel the burn of Kaidan's eyes on him, but he walked past unscathed.

The doors slide close behind Kaidan, making a small swoosh sound. Kicking off his shoes, he wandered into the apartment. Everyone was crowded around in the counter, drinks already in hand. James had a beer waiting for him in his outstretched hand. Kaidan grabbed it eagerly, twisting off the cap and pressing the bottle it to his lips. After listening to the Council drone on for hours and hours, a beer was exactly what he needed. But he felt guilty as he swallowed the sweet liquid, watching Rose sip her water. He gave her a sad look but she gave him a reassuring smile and took another sip.

"I think we should clink some drinks guys." Joker said, leaning up against the counter, his hand wrapped around his beer. "For the past few, unbelievable years. They were..."

"Unforgettable." Liara smiled, raising her glass up in the air. The rest of the group smiled and clinked their drinks together, thinking about the past. James let out a "whoop", and chugged the rest of his beer. The empty bottle clanged against the counter as he placed it down. The sound rang throughout the room as everyone stood in silence for a second before Garrus broke it.

"So, what was Jacob saying about Rio before?" He said, swallowing down the last swig of his drink.


	15. Chapter 15

_Chapter 15_

Squeezing her eyes shut one last time, Rose finally woke up. Adjusting to the dim light first, she sat up in bed slightly taking in the room. It was still bare, the walls naked, only the drawers filled with their clothes. The only thing that made it feel like home was the man laying next to her.

Rose looked down at Kaidan sleeping, laying on his chest, his muscular arms lingering next to her body. The bed sheets half fell off of him, revealing his naked back. Temptation overcame Rose and she bent over top of him, kissing the two freckles on his shoulder blade. He felt him take in a deep breath, before his eyes fluttered opened.

"Hmm, what?" He mumbled in a tired voice, turning his face on his pillow to look at her.

"Hi." She said, her voice a happy whisper. Kaidan reached out his fingers to her lazily, brushing her dark hair. Responding to the touch, she bent over again but this time kissing his cheek. "I'll be back." Pulling the sheets back over top of his bare back, Rose climbed out of bed. She grabbed a pair of navy sweatpants from the floor and tugged them on before she left the room.

The main room was darker then usual, as all the windows were covered with blinds. But a small bit of sunlight trickled in, and casted beautiful stripes of gold across the floor. Realizing she wasn't alone, Rose tiptoed towards the kitchen, past James and Joker who were sleeping on opposite ends of the sectional.

Trying to be as quiet as possible she grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge, and reached across the counter for her painkillers. Popping two down, she stole another look at the men passed out on her couch. Joker's Normandy SR-2 baseball hat hid his face, but his fragile body was wrapped around one of the large cushions. James was sprawled across half the couch, his shirt pushed up revealing his lower abdomen and one of his hands was dangling off of the side. Rose smiled at them, they looked so innocent when they slept - like none of the Reapers business had even happened. She sighed at her last thought, and tip toed past them again, back into her and Kaidan's bedroom.

Kaidan was up when she came back into the room, his body twisted as he reached for the datapad that sat on the night table. Rose crawled back under the covers, peeking over his naked shoulders at the screen. Her eyes flicked across the screen, quickly reading.

Commander R. Shepard and Major K. Alenko,

This is an invitation from the Citadel Council, formally asking that you attend the Earth Victory Celebrations this coming Friday. The event will be held across the entire Citadel and major cities on Earth, but we wish for you to personally join us in the Citadel Tower. Please dress appropriately, as this event is black tie.

The Citadel Council

"Black tie, hey?" Kaidan said cheekily.

"Do you wanna go?" Rose asked shyly. After everything that had gone on, another chance to let loose would be nice - but only if Kaidan was willing. She didn't want to have to spend a night like that without feeling his hand loosely on her back, or his contagious smile to will her on.

"Hell yeah we're going. So is the rest of crew." He tossed the datapad onto the night table, away from them. "It will be good for all of us." He rolled over in the bed, his body now facing hers.

"Hmm." Rose whispered, momentarily distracted by Kaidan's sudden closeness. Placing her lips on his, they both momentarily forgot their conversation. Kaidan's somehow found their way out of the tangled sheets, ran them down her body gently. Heart fluttering, she felt as his fingers brushed her chest, then her waist, moving slowly down her hips. But his fingers lingered at her inner thigh, feeling the fresh scar that sat there. Their lips parted slightly, and a sigh escaped Rose.

"Hey," Kaidan's voice was a sincere whisper. His hand crawled up her body again and cupped her chin. "We can be patient. It will make it even better when we can."

"Patience is a virtue." Rose grumbled, causing Kaidan's addictive smile to spread across his face. He kissed her lips tenderly once more, but was interrupted by the sound of vibration. Twisting around again, he stretched his arm for the datapad that sat on the night table.

A picture of Quarian woman filled the screen, and a banner saying "Tali'Zorah vas Normandy" slid across. With a quick flick of his fingers, Kaidan accepted the call. He lightly tossed the datapad between him and Rose, before speaking. "Hey it's us."

"So please tell me we are going?!" Tali's excited voice echoed throughout the room.

Rose giggled at Tali's excitement. "I don't know.. sounds pretty dull." She said, winking at Kaidan.

"You're kidding me right? This is going to be the biggest celebration ever. The entire galaxy is going to particip-"

"Tali, she's joking." Kaidan reassured Tali, shaking his head at Rose.

"Oh." Tali let out a chuckle. "Of course she is. Thanks Shepard."

There was rumble in the background of the call, before a deep, sleepy voice spoke. "That Shepard?"

"Mhm." Tali said to the voice before she giggled again. "Stop it! Garrus, not now!"

"Fine. You win this one Tali." Garrus' scratchy voice filled the room. Kaidan was slightly annoyed by it.  
There was the sound of Tali placing her hand over the speakerphone, and then silence before she spoke again.

"So Liara and I are going to bring you out for a girl's today. The Commander Shepard has to go to this party looking sexy." The last word sounded weird coming from Tali's mouth.

"We'll see what we can do." Rose chuckled, before ending the call.

"Girl's day huh? Sounds like something I'm not invited too." Kaidan folded his arms across his chest.

"Probably not. Now I get to go to all my favorite stores on the Citadel in one day!" She said sarcastically, before crawling out of the bed.


	16. Chapter 16

_Chapter 16_

"Ugh."

Rose pulled the soft material over top of her head, her arms raised above her head. Wincing as she lowered her arms back down, the scar near her elbow throbbing slightly.

This was the eleventh dress that she had tried on that was a definite "no". If it was up to her she would be wearing her blue officer's suit. But that was "unacceptable, said Liara.

"You can't wear that to the Celebration that the entire Galaxy is attending. Wear a dress - or don't go." Liara had said simply, handing her another pile of dresses.

Now the Commander stood in the mirror filled change room, the reflection of her standing in her underwear surrounding her. The fabric fell to the ground in a bundle as she stared at her body at every possible angle. She wasn't 18 years old anymore, but she wasn't ashamed of what she saw. Her skin had finally begun to regenerate, giving it a healthy glow and the bruises and dull skin were fading away. White scars decorated her arms and legs, standing out against her olive skin.

Rose let out a sigh as another dress suddenly came over the top of the change room door. "I have a good feeling about this one!" Liara squealed from the other side of the door. She grabbed the dress, rubbing the delicate fabric between her fingers. Letting out yet another sigh, she stepped into the dress pulling it over top of her half-naked body. Without looking at her reflection, she moved through the sliding door, out into the brightly light store hallway.

"Oh goddess. Shepard.." Liara's voice was a quiet whisper.

"What? Is it that bad?" Rose hesitated, before spinning around the look at a mirror.

She was wearing a simple, strapless black gown with a slit that went up her thigh. Rose was shocked at the curves that had suddenly appeared - defining her bust and hips, giving her an hourglass figure. She blinked at her reflection once more before turning back to the two women.

"So... I'm rethinking this skirt piece." Tali said awkwardly before letting out a laugh.

"No! Everything's going to be so perfect. We are all going to look so stunning, in front of the _entire_ galaxy."

"Huh.. great. The entire galaxy." Rose said to herself, fear creeping up her spine. She slipped back into the change room quietly while Tali and Liara continued to speak.

"Maybe you can find a nice Quarian husband Tali." Liara nudged her friend's waist.

"Um, well I'm Garrus's date, so that would probably be awkward." She played with her fingers, staring at them.

"Oh! You guys are okay then?"

"For now yeah." Tali's voice was quiet.

"Well what happened? You seemed pretty done with him just yesterday morning." Liara seemed genuinely confused. Rose's ears perked up as she heard Tali take a deep breath before answering.

"Well loneliness and alcohol aren't a good mix. He seemed fine this morning though - he even made me breakfast."

It felt weird to Rose, hearing about what Garrus does the morning after. She quickly pulled her N7 hoodie back on, soaking in the comfortable feeling of the material before leaving the change room again.

"Well do you guys want to pay and just head back to the apartment?" Tali asked, folding the skirt in her hands over and over again.

"Well I thought maybe we could go get sushi for lunch or something." Liara said, moving towards the teller.

"I, uh, wouldn't mind going home." Rose saw the flash of disappointment in Liara's face. "I'm sorry, I just need to relax for a bit. My leg is -"

"Oh." A flash of concern swept across her blue face, replacing the look of disappointment. "Then let's go home! I'll just pay for these." Liara attempted to take the black dress out of Rose's hands.

"Funny joke Liara. I'm getting it." Before either of the women could refuse Rose had already snatched the items out of their hand and had limped quickly over to the teller, a cheeky grin plastered to her face.

She met them just outside of the store, waiting for a citadel rapid transit. "So the Alliance just paid for three dresses?" Her eyebrows pushed together in confusion.

"What?" Tali and Liara said in unison.

"The teller said it was free of charge - all my expenses on the Citadel were being covered by the Alliance."

"Well you did the unthinkable and destroyed the Reapers a month ago.. I don't think that its that strange." Liara simply shrugged, climbing into the skycar.

"I guess.. it's just weird." Rose placed the bags into the car first, before clumsily pulling herself in with her tired arms and legs.

"I can't wait to show the boys, the sexy new Shepard!" Liara squealed.

Rose immediately regretted deciding to go home right away.

* * *

The familiar sound of a vibrating datapad interrupted the poker game. "Shit, nobody look at my cards!" Kaidan said, eyeing the men that sat around the table before running over to the kitchen counter. He flicked the datapad open and his eyes flashed over the screen.

It was an instant message from Rose. "On our way back, be prepared..."

"Prepared for what?" He said out loud, rubbing his forehead before he looked out the corner of his eye. "Hey Vega, why don't your fingers wonder over somewhere else."

"Damn it. I knew I couldn't do it Joker! You set me up." James scowled.

"I didn't think you would actually do it. I didn't know I had that power over people." A sly smile spread across his face as he leaned back in his chair, folding his arms.

Kaidan shook his head at them, sitting back into the dining room chair. "Either way the girls are gonna be home soon, so let's wrap this up shall we?" He watched as all the men quickly chugged down the rest of their drinks, and sat up a little straighter. Garrus had a suspicious grin on his face as he placed his empty glass on to the table, the ice clinking at the bottom.

Garrus noticed Kaidan's stare and let out a chuckle. "It's just weird."

Kaidan's curiosity overcame his annoyance of Garrus at the moment, and he asked, "What is?"

He placed his talon's on the table, folding them together before speaking again. "If you told me a few months ago that we would all be sitting at a table on the Citadel, reaper free and I was still kicking your guys' asses at poker... I probably would have laughed in your face."

"Yeh, yeh whatever Vakarian. You think you are gonna win this one." Joker said casually, rearranging his cards with a smile on is face.

"I don't know I think you guys shouldn't waste your credits... I'd feel bad taking them from you." Garrus's mandibles twitched as he smiled.

"Let's just cut the shit and show our cards, yeh?" James was impatient. "Winner gets bragging rights.

Joker placed his cards down first, revealing 4 sevens and a 10. "Four of a kind bitches."

"Mierda!" James threw his cards onto the table with a swift hand movement, revealing a three of a kind.

Garrus let out a slow chuckle, "Well boys. Sorry to crush your hopes and dreams but... straight flush."

"No way! You win everything.." Joker said childishly. The three men looked down at their hands placed face up on the table before Kaidan coughed loudly.

"Ahem." His cards were placed down directly in front of him, all five diamond cards lined up perfectly. "Royal flush." He said, a small smile spread across his face.

The table roared with laughter. "Sneaky bastard!" James growled through his chuckles.

The men all reached down for the drinks to clink their glasses together, but Joker spoke first. "Hey, isn't it bad luck to cheers with an empty drink?" A cheeky smiled spread across his face as he raised on eyebrow to Kaidan.

Kaidan gave him a crooked smile. "It sure is pal... Okay, one more then."

James pumped his fist into the air, before practically skipping towards the refrigerator with Joker trailing behind him. This left Garrus and Kaidan alone at the table together.

"Good game. You surprised me. I definitely didn't see that one coming." Garrus nodded to Kaidan.

"Yeh, well now we're even." Kaidan's chair scraped against the concrete floor as he pushed himself away from the table.


	17. Chapter 17

_Chapter 17 _

The scowl that had been etched onto Kaidan's face slowly faded as he heard the front doors slide open, and the quiet murmur of feminine voices. The green, glass bottle in his hand clanked as he placed it on the kitchen countertop roughly. Wandering over to the front entrance he found the three woman, taking off sweaters and boots.

Rose gave him a warm smile, and outstretched her fingers to him. She gripped his hand, using him as balance as she finished taking off her boots. Kaidan kissed her lightly on the lips, before acknowledging the sleek, black bag in her hand.

"So did you ladies find what you were looking for?"

Liara flashed him a cheeky smile, her large eyes flickering to the Rose's bag. "Did we ever!"

Curiosity overcame Kaidan, his eyebrow raising slightly. "Really? Well show me.." His voice trailed off as he saw the look on Rose's face. Her eyes looked sunken, her skin dull and tired. He watched her place the shopping bag on the counter, ignoring the greeting from the men at the poker table.

"Hey," He wrapped his hand gently around her waist, his lips close to her ear. "you okay?" She nodded weakly, fumbling for the bottle of pills that sat on the countertop.

Rose waited till she had got the bottle open and swallowed a few pills before answering him. "I don't think these are working anymore.. that's for sure. I feel good for a few hours, and then it just hits me."

The rest of the group continued with their conversation, letting the couple talk to each other quietly for a moment. Kaidan's hand reached to her hip, "Is it your leg?"

"Just everything, it's this overall pain - like anywhere I've ever been hurt before. It's hard to explain..." Her eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Hey," He kissed her gently again. "I'll call the doc and book an appointment for tomorrow."

The small smile she gave him in return didn't tie him over, but before he could open his mouth James spoke. "So Shepard, lets see this sexy dress Liara's been talking about!" He talked with his hands, the beer bottle in them taunting Rose.

"I don't know... seeing Shepard in anything other then uniform is going to be weird." Joker shook his head, his fingers playing with the cards that sat in front of him.

"It should be a surprise." Tali said quietly, standing awkwardly behind a silent Garrus. He hadn't acknowledged anybody, not even Rose's presence. His black eyes were fixed on the table top, his talons folded together.

"Nah! It's not like her and Kaidan are getting married! It's not a wedding dress, so there's no harm in seeing it now, right?" James said it casually before sipping from his beer again, raising his eyebrows at Kaidan.

"They're not getting married, yet." Liara said simply, as she began unfolding garments out of shopping bags. Rose made a choking sound as she sipped on her water, while Kaidan blinked slowly, rethinking the statement through.

Garrus's eyes flicked up, his shoulders pushing back. His talon twitched slightly on the table top until he suddenly remembered Tali standing behind him. Without thinking he reached out for her hand, and pulled her next to him. She hesitated before putting her arm around him broad shoulders.

"Way to scare the couple Liara, jeez." Joker attempted to lighten the mood. His eyes widened with slight shock as he looked down at his hands. He had some how ended up stacking the cards into a neat pile.

Liara looked over at Rose and Kaidan, standing awkwardly together and made a face. "Opps... sorry."

Kaidan chuckled, wrapping his hand around Rose's waist. "S'okay. I don't want to see the dress now anyways. I can wait." He flashed a smile to Rose.

She thought of the conversation they had earlier that morning, and felt her cheeks flush. She looked shyly down at the ground, hiding her face from her friends.

"Fine.. I guess we can wait." Vega said sarcastically, before sitting back down at the table next to Joker. Looking slightly awkward in the small chair.

"Oh!" Liara exclaimed, her omni tool suddenly began to vibrate. Her blue eyes widened with excitement, and she quickly excused herself wandering over the archway down the hallway.

"Hello Liara T'Soni speaking." she whispered, her fingers brushing the cold wall as she walked.

"Good evening Ms T'Soni, this is Varius Pax from the leisure financial district with the Citadel Council." It was a turian man, his voice a scratchy growl.

She bit her lip anxiously, waiting for him to continue speaking.

"I was calling in regards to your request for the Normandy crew's leave on a vacation. With the completion of the repairs of the mass relays and the departure of the Quarians and Krogan this Saturday, the Council could not find any reason to not approve the appropriate amount of sums required for a vacation for the crew ." His tone remained professional.

Liara practically squealed. This is exactly what everyone needed. Garrus's side comment about Rio was going to become a reality. "Oh, this is perfect! Thank you. When do we leave?!" She had to think about everything she said, hoping she did not sound too excited.

"Early this Sunday morning. I will forward all information about the trip and destination to you as soon as possible, Ms T'Soni."

"This is so great. Thank you!" Liara waved her slender hand over her omni tool, ending the call. She then clapped them together, before she skipped back into the main room to the others.

The scene had slightly changed, the cards on the table had been cleared and replaced with a stack of plates and cutlery. Joker remained seated, staring out the window with a strained look on his face. Tali and Garrus sat across from him, their hands touching slightly. A bustling sound came from the kitchen, as James clanked the frying pan back onto the stove. Rose laughed, reaching to turn off the stove, attempting to save the dinner. Kaidan sat on a bar stool, his eyes flickering from his folded hands to Rose. Liara couldn't help but smile at the sight of all of them.

"What are you smiling at chick? Not me failing to make dinner I hope." James said as he peered into the pan, as he picked it up again.

"I'm thinking sushi is our best bet now. Everyone up for sushi?" Shepard asked the room. She received a chorus of "yes please"'s, as everyone smelt the burnt meal.

"Good, we can celebrate over it." Liara said cheekily.

"Celebrate?" Joker said, his eyebrow raising.

"Getting approved to going to Rio." She said it calmly as she poured herself a drink.

"Wait, what?!" James almost dropped the pan in his hands.

"Are you serious?" Garrus had finally joined the conversation, his shoulders perked up and he sat up a little taller.

A huge smile spread across Liara's face, revealing her pearly white teeth.

"Heck yes!" James threw his fist into the air, causing the rest of the room to break out into laughter.


	18. Chapter 18

_Chapter 18_

Rose cracked her knuckles impatiently, her eyes wandering around the room again. She was used to stuff like this - blood tests, needles, poking and prodding - but that didn't mean she liked it. She had been here since 9 in the morning, and all this waiting was getting irritating. Exhaustion had crept up on her this morning, letting her feel every aching muscle and pounding headache. It had taken Kaidan almost half an hour to convince her to just get her out of bed.

Letting out a sigh, Rose lifted up the sleeve of her hoodie, admiring the scar that went from the side of her wrist to her elbow. It was one of the best ones yet. She absently ran her fingertips over top of it, feeling how healed and smooth it already was. Suddenly the doors to the room slide open, and a woman spoke.

"So you're gonna laugh at this." It was Doctor Carter. She tossed the datapad lightly onto the patient bed Rose sat on, shaking her head.

Rose looked down at the charts on the screen, the numbers not making sense. "I'm a soldier, not a doctor."

"It's the painkillers causing your pain." The Doctor shook her head again, almost like she was in disbelief. "They are slowing the implant's down, causing inflammation in past injuries. The implants are directing its attention to the painkillers, trying to destroy them and it's draining nutrients from you to do so also."

A moan left Rose's mouth. "So now what?"

"Well the implants have regained full power and control now that your system has been wiped of any analgesics. They'll kick in fully by tomorrow morning I'd say, you should notice a difference. Sorry for all the guessing, but nobody's really worked with anything like this before." The doctor gave her a polite smile.

"No, no it's okay. I understand. So that's it? Everything else can go back to normal?" Rose couldn't help but ask.

"If you are asking in regards to this celebration or your vacation yes. Drinking alcohol, intercourse, exercise - just pace yourself. Cerberus did a good job on you, they made sure everything could be as normal as possible." An odd look glinted in her eyes, as the doctor spoke to her patient.

"You already renewed my shot right?" Rose asked curiously.

"Contraceptive shot? Yes, during your initial visitation." Doctor Carter had picked up the datapad again, and was flicking through more charts and graphs.

Rose felt a sudden awkward tension that was making her uncomfortable. She pushed herself off of the bed, rolling the sleeves of her sweater back down. "Well, thank you. I guess I'll see you at the celebration tomorrow?"

"Of course! Have a good day." Doctor Carter barely turned to say goodbye, totally immersed in her work.

The bright lights of the waiting room made Rose blink. She hoped this was the last time she would have to visit the Huerta Memorial Hospital, whether it was for herself or even worse, to see someone else. She was sick of all the needles, sterile rooms and having to see all these people in such horrible conditions. The after effects of the war were not totally gone - and a quick glance into the rooms at the Huerta would make you see that.

Once she got into the elevator, Rose closed her eyes, rubbing them. She leaned up against the wall, the cold metal brushing the back of her neck. Glancing up, she noticed the view of the Presidium that she had through the glass wall of the elevator. Preparations for the celebration had begun - new trees and bushes from Earth had been planted, kiosks and stores were being closed making more room for the tables and bar stools. It was going to be across the entire Citadel, VIP access in the Tower. Rose looked across towards the Tower, swallowing back the flood of memories that she could suddenly feel in her throat.

When the elevator doors opened Rose did not expect what she saw. A flood of people stood outside, flashes from cameras and shouts from reporters shocking her, making her step back. "Shit." She breathed. She should have saw this coming. Flashing them a polite smile, Rose waved quickly at the group of people before attempting to walk past them.

"Commander! Commander Shepard! Will you be there tomorrow night? Will you be speaking?!"

The shouts echoed in her ears, making her feel woozy. She chewed on her cheek trying to find a way out. Rose couldn't help but laugh at herself - put her in front of an army of juggernauts and armatures she can find a path around them within seconds - but a handful of pushy reporters and she froze.

"Rose! Babe!" A voice came from the side of the crowd. A husky growl she would know any where. Suddenly a hand reached for her, interlacing it's fingers with her and pulling her forward. She thumped into a muscular chest, her hand finding her way onto a shoulder.

"Hey, I was gonna come and meet you up there." Kaidan whispered into her ear.

"I know, I just needed to get out of there. I didn't like it." Rose shook her head, both of their faces close. It wasn't until they heard the shouts of the reporters did they realize where they were.

"Come on. Can you run?" He said, grabbing her hand a little tighter. She nodded to him quickly, and they both set off - zig zagging through out the Presidium, trying to lose the reporters. Memories flashed through both of their heads, running through the Citadel almost four years before - searching for Saren. It seemed like an entire eternity away.

Rose's heart was pounding by the time they reached the apartment. It had been longer then a month since she had had to move like that, and her body wasn't loving her for it right now. She looked over at Kaidan, who had been running effortlessly.

A smile grew on his face as he looked up from opening the door, taking Rose in. "Someone a little tired?" He teased, walking into the apartment. She followed him in.

"Commander Shepard isn't what she used to be I guess." Rose sighed, bending over to take off her boots.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Licking her lips, Rose's eyebrows furrowed with concentration. Her expertise on make up was slim to none, but she still couldn't help but try. She wasn't sure what had made her excited for tonight, but she wanted it to be special. It's something that everyone needed - and Rose didn't want to be left out.

Taking a large fluffy brush, she dipped it lightly into a pot of pale pink blush. She attempted the "kissy face" that Liara had taught her, and lightly ran it over top of her cheek bones. Replacing the make up brush in her hand with a comb, Rose couldn't help but glance at her reflection.

It seemed that what Doctor Carter had said about her implants kicking in had been somewhat true. The bags under her eyes seemed to have lighten, her skin getting a bit of its glow back. Even without the makeup Rose could see that she was getting better. Other then a slight headache, that could be easily fixed, she felt decent for once. Running the comb through her dark hair, she pushed it to one side. Licking her lips, and fixing her hair one last time she wandered into the bedroom to find her dress.

Kaidan was bent over the dresser, rummaging through a drawer. She watched him for a moment, trying not to giggle as he frantically searched. He didn't notice Rose walk in, so she used the opportunity to surprise him. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she kissed his cheek tenderly, feeling his clean shaven face on her lips.

"Hey!" He said, turning around taking her into his arms. He kissed her fully on the mouth, before taking her in. "Look at you all done up."

"Mhm, I thought it would be a nice change." She bit the inside of her lip, looking down at what Kaidan was wearing.

"You like it?" He moved his arms out to the side, letting her see all of his tuxedo. "It's a bit fancier then my crewman scrubs hey?"

"Bow tie?" Rose asked, lacing her fingers into his collar.

He looked down at the messy drawers and chuckled. "I was just looking for it. I might have to go run out and get another one... it's no where to be found. I swear, it just disappeared."

Rose knelt down, reaching under neath the bed. When she pulled out her hand, a black bow tie was clutched in her fist. She laughed at the expression on Kaidan's face. "I figured you would somehow lose it, so I put it right on top of your jacket on the bed. But you still did."

"Mmm, you know me too well babe." He grabbed her chin, kissing her lips again. His eyes lingered on her lips as he pulled away, but his thought was interrupted by the sound of the front door's buzzer.

"I'll get that and let you get to it, eh?" He grabbed the bowtie, putting it in his trouser pocket. "See you on the other side." He winked, sliding the bedroom doors close.

Kaidan ran to the door, activating it so it slide open to reveal their guests. Tali and Liara stood, waiting impatiently. They both practically jumped when they saw it was Kaidan, "Where is she?!" They both demanded in sync.

"In our bedroom. She'll be out soon." He laughed at the two. "Come in." He gestured inside, pressing himself next to the wall to let them through. The rest of the boys were outside, lingering near the door.  
"Hey buddy!" Vega crossed into the apartment, clapping Kaidan on the back. "You ready to party?" He said raising his eyebrows.

"Definitely." Kaidan said, giving him a half smile.

Joker followed James in, rubbing his hair. "I feel naked without my hat." He whined, wandering towards the kitchen. Garrus walked in last, handing Kaidan a bottle of whisky. He gave Kaidan a nod, before speaking.

"For us on the vacation. We'll share it one night."

Kaidan looked down at the bottle in his hand, thinking for a moment. "Thanks bud. I'll make sure I save it." He looked Garrus in the eye, before meeting the rest of the group in the kitchen and placing the bottle on the counter.

"Look at all of us, looking hot." James clapped his hands together.

"Yeah, ladies you look great." Kaidan said, admiring his friends. Liara had on pale floor length dress with straps that slid off her slender shoulders. An unbreakable smile was spread across her face, her eyes shining. Tali had a purple skirt piece overtop of her suit, and a scarf wrapped carefully around her mask that fell low on her back. She had her fingers interlaced together, moving with excitement.

"Where's your bow tie man?" Joker asked, pointing at his own blue one.

"Oh shit," Kaidan fumbled in his pockets, looking for it. Once he found it he moved over to the mirror, using it to watch himself as he put it on. Remembering what his father had taught him, Kaidan tied it into what he thought was a perfect bow tie. He turned around to face his friends.

"There ya go! Now all we need is Cinderella and then we can go to the ball." Vega joked.

Just as the words left his mouth, the sound of the bedroom door swooshing opening filled the room. She walked forward, the black dress she wore billowing behind her. "Well?" Rose asked, her eyebrows furrowing together with worry. The silence of her friends was killing her.

"You look.." Liara stumbled to find the word.

"Stunning." Garrus said, his voice low. The group nodded in agreement. Rose let out a sigh of relief, making them all laugh.

"You trying to make us look bad Shepard?" Joker asked, giving her a side hug.

Kaidan watched her, any words escaping him. His eyes lingered every where she walked, biting his lip.

"Should we head out then?" She asked, chewing the inside of her cheek, looking a little nervous.

"Let the fiesta begin! Wooo!" James threw his fist into the air, leading the group out of the apartment.

Kaidan waited for the rest to leave, wanting to walk near the back of the group. He looked around the apartment, noticing a light still left on. Wandering over to the console, he flicked the light off - leaving him in the dull light of the moon straying into the room.

The sound of high heels clicking on the concrete floor echoed throughout the room. He turned around to meet the person and found himself staring in Rose's dark brown eyes.  
"Hi." He breathed, inhaling her sugary scent. She slide her hands up his chest, feeling the soft material of his jacket. Blinking slowly, she watched Kaidan's lips. Temptation overcame him, and his hands found her waist and made their way down to her dress, brushing the skin of her thigh that was revealed by the high slit.

At the feeling of his fingertips, Rose pushed her lips to his - kissing him like she had wanted to for weeks. He responded almost immediately, wrapping his arms around her harder. "Mmm," He said, pulling away with a slight sigh. "It's gonna be a long night."

Interlacing his fingers with hers, Kaidan and Rose moved quickly out of the apartment, attempting to catch up with the others.


	20. Chapter 20

_Chapter 20 _

The Citadel Tower was a sight to see. It was filled with floating orbs of light, casting a dim, golden aura across the vast space and the crowd that stood with in it. Bright flashes from cameras, reflected off of champagne and wine glasses, as reporters and photographers attempted to capture the moment for news coverage and perhaps for history. Never on one single space station, had so many people and species gathered for one glamorous celebration.

Rose sipped her champagne gingerly, while pushing back a stray piece of her hair. She was surprised that she wasn't shaking with nerves. These events had never sat well with her. Even though she felt a warm feeling of pride spread through her stomach as she watched her fellow comrades accept metals of bravery and service. But still she stood at the back of the crowd, hoping to be concealed.

Suddenly she felt the warmth of a hand on the small of her back, and she looked over to Kaidan. He gave her a reassuring smile, noticing her caution. She nodded to him, before sipping from her champagne again. Staring blankly up at the stage, Rose knew he was still watching her, not buying her act.

Out of the the corner of her eye, she saw him open his mouth - trying to make use of the moment of silence as a corporal limped off stage. But before he could speak, Admiral Hackett took the Council's spot in front of the podium. Kaidan let out an involuntary sigh before turning and joining the crowd in saluting the grey-haired man.

"Thank you," He mumbled, looking embarrassed yet humbled at the same time. "First off, I would like to be the first to acknowledge what a fine looking crowd we all are. After months of uniforms and blues, we all clean up pretty nicely huh?" The crowd laughed and clapped, exchanging looks with the partners standing next to them.

"This evening began with acknowledging soldiers, helmsman, commanders, majors, medics, doctors, councilors, engineers and anyone other person - of all types of occupations, ages, genders and species. Though not every single person can be acknowledged tonight - the Council and different military groups will continue to make sure that every person is thanked individually for their efforts." He smiled, waiting as the crowd clapped again. "But the acknowledgments are not yet done."

Back in the crowd, Rose had to stop herself from groaning. She desperately wanted to ditch her champagne, and demand a whiskey from a bartender.

"This group of individuals have become increasingly popular across the entire galaxy, and their efforts have definitely not gone unnoticed. I believe that almost every person in this room knows of them." A half-smile spread across his wrinkled face as he continued. "I would like to invite onto the stage, every past and active member of the Normandy SSV and SR2 that is present this evening." The crowd erupted into cheers as Admiral Hackett finished speaking.  
The blood in Rose's face seemed to rush specifically to her ears and cheeks, turning them red. Blinking over and over, she looked around at the people surrounding her - who had all turn to clap for her and Kaidan. Gulping, she froze staring at them and it wasn't until Kaidan interlaced his fingers with her and began to pull her through the crowd did she realize what was going on.

"Kaidan I-" She looked past the people of the crowd, at the sleek, black stage that sat directly underneath the glass ceiling.

"I know." He looked back at her, giving her a nod. "I know, I'll be right next to you." Kaidan took her face in his hands gently, "Rose, look at me." Her dark brown eyes met his caramel ones, focusing on them. He didn't say anything to her, just giving her a long, meaningful look before moving both of them towards the stairs leading up to the stage.

The rest of the group gave the couple a smile as they climbed up the stairs. They stood in a line in the middle of the stage, their hands wrapped around each other's waists and shoulders - pushing them all together. Rose noticed the familiar face of Jack, standing next to a beaming Liara. She reached out grabbing Rose's hand briefly as a silent greeting. She then heard two identical low grunts, and found herself looking at her two favorite Krogans. It was the first time she had seen them in a month, but for now a stern nod and eyebrow raise was the most she could say to the two.

Noticing their Commander, James and Joker stepped aside creating an opening near the middle of the line for Kaidan and Rose to sneak in. Vega wrapped his large hands around her slim waist. "Lola," He said, giving her an almost identical stare to what Kaidan had gave her just moments before. _They both know me too well_, she thought to herself.

Rose attempted to calm down, avoiding looking in to the crowd of onlookers. She begged for Admiral Hackett to speak so the crowd would move their attention off of her. Almost reading her mind, Hackett began to talk again.

"This fine group of men and woman have been doing the impossible - and speaking honestly, I am not sure where we would be today without them. Though this is not the entire crew, as members are currently celebrating with family on Earth or unfortunately, were lost in battle - these individuals are a fine example of the strength of unifying all members of the galaxies species into one dangerously good team."

Rose felt the group pass claps on the back, and smacks on the butt down the line. She laughed at everyone's reactions, as the chain of congratulations went down the line of her friends. Kaidan didn't miss the chance to secretly slap her ass, making her blush. With a giggle, she squeezed James's muscular bicep, putting her head on her friend's shoulder for a sincere moment.

"Doctor Karin Chakwas of the Normandy's Medical Bay was able to help me compile a list of all the incredible members of the crew - allowing us all tonight to thank them for their efforts. Though she could not join us tonight for the celebration, as she is donating her efforts to recovery of Alliance soldiers on Earth, I would still like to take a moment to thank her." Everyone in the room took a moment to clap, all respecting her role as a doctor in these times.

"Now, I will present each member of the Normandy with an award personally. I would ask if you could all save your applause until the end." Admiral Hackett gave the audience a polite smile, before extending a warmer one to the group standing behind him. A young Asari woman then joined Admiral Hackett on stage, a large clear box in her slender hands. She shadowed the old man, as he made his way towards the line up humans and aliens.

Reaching into the the clear container, he pulled out a slender, black box. He read the name on it, before making his way over to Joker. Rose watched both of their lips move as they whispered to each other, smiles playing on both of their lips. They shook hands, and Hackett handed Joker the box. After Hackett had patted him on the shoulder, Joker took a moment to look down at the box in his hands. His eyes widen with disbelief, and he slipped it into his suit pant pocket. "Holy shit." He murmured, making Rose extremely curious of what he had just been handed.

Hackett repeated this routine over and over, reaching into the clear container, reading off a name silently and handing it to the recipient. Rose watched as each of her friends accepted their award, a feeling of warmth and pride filling her stomach each time. It wasn't till it was only her and Kaidan left to receive a slender black box that she became nervous again.

The eyes of the audience seemed to burn a hole through her chest as Hackett neared her. Her fingers held onto Kaidan's tighter, cracking her knuckles. He looked down at their hands, and breathed to her, "You're almost home free. You're doing great."

Hackett had overheard Kaidan's whispered encouraging words. "Not a fan of the spotlight Shepard?" He joked.

"No sir." Rose shook her head, grateful to have something to look at other then the looming audience and bright lights.

The Admiral chucked at her, "You're a wonder - that's for sure." Kaidan glanced over to her, his eyes shining. "Both of you actually." Kaidan looked back to Hackett, a small smile playing on his lips. "Thank you sir." He spoke for them both.

"You two make an incredible team - the Alliance won't ever be able to thank you enough for what you've done. The things that have been done are just, well, legendary. There won't be a child that doesn't know of your names, of the Normandy and the crew." Hackett's head shook as he spoke, "It's just unbelievable."

He then gave them both a smile that spread across his entire face, wrinkling the corners of his old, tired eyes. Extending his hand to both of them, he slipped one of the black boxes into each of their hands. He opened his mouth to say something again, but then just smiled once again and turned away from them.

Rose flipped the box over in her hand, looking at her name printed on it in a small, slanted hand writing. Lifting the lid slightly, a shiny metal star was revealed. Recognizing it almost immediately, she let out a small breath.

"I know." Kaidan's voice was a husky whisper. Before she could respond to him, Admiral Hackett spoke out towards the audience - his voice amplified.

"I have just awarded each member of the Normandy SSV and SR2 individually with a Palladium Star. I could not think of any other people who deserve this more then them." The crowd erupted with cheers and claps as he finished speaking. Flashes of light and blaring red dots filled the room, as reporters recorded the moment live for Citadel News.

Hackett raised his hand to bring the crowd to hush. "Also on behalf of the entire galaxy, and it's range of species - I would like to present the Normandy with the Galactic Unit Citation. This is the highest honor that can be awarded to a military unit. So," He reached over, accepting the glass of champagne the same Asari woman handed him, "I would like to make a toast to the Normandy. Without them, this war would have been, well, impossible."

He raised his glass into the air, and the hundreds of people in the room and thousands of people watching the vids across the Citadel mimicked him - giving their thanks to the crew of the Normandy.


	21. Chapter 21

_Chapter 21_

Scotch burned down Kaidan's throat as he placed his now empty glass onto the bar. He closed his eyes, scrunching up his nose. Throughout the room of thudding music though he still heard a drunken giggle. Opening his eyes, he saw Rose with her hand over her mouth.

"How'd you like that?" She asked, her voice muffled by her laughter.

Before he could answer, James took the empty seat next to Rose - distracting her. "Lola! You didn't think you could get out of taking some shots with me did you?!" He spoke loudly over the music, his accent thick with drunkenness.

"Is it a challenge?" She demanded, her eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"Hell yah! You and me! Kaidan can be the judge." Vega pointed a finger at Kaidan, attempting to be serious.

"No, no. That seems like a job for Joker." He shook his head, and began climbing out of his bar stool.

"Hey, where you going?" Rose asked, grabbing onto his hand gently.

"I'll be back - you have fun with James for a bit, okay?" He bent down, pressing his lips to her quickly.  
"Don't worry, I'll be back."

Rose gave him another kiss, before turning back to James. "Okay, lets do this Vega." Kaidan laughed as he walked away, listening to their fading conversation.

The crowd in the Tower had certainly changed over the past couple of hours. It was a sight to see - all of the most influential people of the galaxy, dressed up and buzzed off of champagne and scotch. There wasn't anything that could stop them from doing what they wanted tonight. Looking across the vast room, Kaidan was drawn into a crowd of dancers by flashing white lights. Standing around the edge of the dance floor, he noticed a familiar couple.

Garrus and Tali stood close together, both moving their hips in awkward rotations. He couldn't help but smile at them, until Kaidan noticed the scowl on Garrus's face. Garrus's mouth was a hard line as he spoke to Tali, who was shaking her head, her scarf moving gently. She placed a gloved hand onto his arm, causing Garrus to freeze. The two of them stood out now, frozen in a sea of dancing figures. Kaidan watched, unable to look away.

Garrus was looking around, probably for a way out the crowd. He kept on shaking his head at Tali, until he shook her hand off of him - throwing his talons into the air. Pushing his way through the crowd, Kaidan absently began walking towards him.

"Hey." Kaidan said, as he approached Garrus.

He glared at Kaidan, his jaw still set into a scowl.

"Wanna get out of here for a bit?" It wasn't really a question as Kaidan already knew the answer. He made a path through the crowded Tower, bumping into strangers with silent apologies. Finally, they made it to one of the balcony doors.

The sound of inside the tower was muffled as the doors slide close. Kaidan took a moment to inhale deeply, before leaning against the railing. "So."

"So?" Garrus growled back, pacing.

"What did she say?" Kaidan asked, ignoring his tone. "I saw the look on your face Garrus."

He stopped dead in tracks, and flicked his eyes towards Kaidan. With a heavy sigh, he joined Kaidan on the railing - looking out. "She's not coming to Rio now."

"Why not? Kaidan asked, not looking at him.

"The Flotilla is leaving tomorrow night. She's going with them." Garrus sounded bitter.

"That's understandable, they were able to reclaim their home world. They need as much help as they can get rig-."

"That's not why she's leaving." He interrupted. "She's not coming because of me." There was a deadly silence between the two until Garrus continued. "Supposedly, she thought it felt more like a 'oh the world's gonna end and I don't want to die alone' deal. I wasn't given that memo until now."

Kaidan looked down at his hands, grasped firmly onto the railing. "Shit, Garrus.."

"I don't need a pep talk about... I don't know. I just need my friends Kaidan. I thought I had lost my best friend too. And then I said what I said to you.. and," Garrus began rambling, her usually low, calm voice becoming fast. "I'm sick of losing my friends." The look Garrus gave him, made Kaidan swallow hard.

Chewing his lip, Kaidan looked back out at the sky - thinking. Not about Garrus, but about Rose. "Okay."

"Okay?" Garrus's voice almost broke.

"Yeh. We've been through tougher shit together right?"  
Garrus gave out a laugh, before they both patted each other on the shoulders.

"Come on man, let's get you something to drink."

Rose snorted back laughter, as she placed her final shot down onto the bar countertop.

"Well, it can be said that the Commander Shepard can sure hold her liquor." The bartender said, as he moved to clean up her and James's glasses.

"Yeh yeh, I let Lola win." James slurred, wrapping a muscular arm around her slender shoulders.

"Sure you did James. Just like you let me win when we were playing Grim Terminus Alliance the other night." Joker butted in, a cheeky smile spreading across his face. "I beat him sooo hard," Joker joking whispered behind his hand to the bartender.

"Hey, Vega you should get your hands of my girl." A growl came from behind them.

They all turned around to find Kaidan, with Garrus in tow.

"Lola's all yours man." James winked, as he gave Garrus a high five. "Hey man, how have you been?"

"Mmm," Garrus paused. "I'd be better if I had a drink yeh?" He nodded to the bartender.  
"Turian brandy?" The bartender asked, as he wiped a glass clean.

"Perfect." He said, licking his lips.

Kaidan moved around the group of men, finding Rose sitting in the same barstool he had left her in. Bending over, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Hey, how ya feeling?"

"Mmm, better now." She said, wrapping her hands around his wrists.

"Yeh? Well what do you wanna do now?" He asked, pressing his cheek to the side of her face.

"How about you show me some dance moves, then maybe we get out of here?" Rose moved her fingers up to Kaidan's face, brushing his lips.

"Sounds like a deal." He smiled, kissing one of her fingers.

"Hey, you two - get a room would ya?"Joker pretended to gag before he giving them a sincere smile.

Grabbing onto Kaidan's hand, Rose pushed herself out of the barstool - giving her spot up to Garrus. "Well, boys. I'll see you tomorrow?" Rose asked, clutching on to Kaidan to steady herself.

They all laughed. "You sure will Shepard. Have a good one." James winked at Kaidan, as he began to pull her towards the dance floor. "You go show off your dancing skills!" Instead of responding Rose merely raised her hand high in the air and gave him the finger.

The lights had mellowed, and the crowd wasn't as thick as it had been. Everyone had started to disperse, heading home or towards another part of the Citadel for another party. Kaidan's hand slide around Rose's waist as they reached the dance floor, drawing her into him. They stepped side to side for a moment, getting used to the beat of the music.

Kaidan looked down at Rose, whose eyes were down at her feet. "Hey, look at me." Rose's dark brown eyes flashed up, embarrassed. "I got you, don't worry about the dancing part."

"Oh yeh? 'Cause you're such a master at it right?" She teased.

Kaidan took that as a challenge, grabbing her right hand he turned her into him quickly. "I like to think so." He chuckled at Rose's expression.

With a coy smile, Rose shook her head at him. "You're amazing." She said simply.

He breathed out a laugh. "So is that the liquor talking?" He joked, making a face at her. Looking down at her through his lashes, he took the moment to take her in. "You look.. so stunning tonight Rose. I don't think you understand what you've been doing to me all night."

"Is that liquor talking?" She asked sarcastically. But she tightened her arms around his neck, moving her closer to him. Kaidan breathed in as she moved closer, inhaling her sugary scent. "Mmm," He sighed, lowering his hands to her hips. The song continued to play softly as the couple danced, moving side to side, hips swaying slowly. Rose batted her eyelashes at Kaidan a little, staring only at his lips. It wasn't until the final beats of the song had ended did she reach up and press her lips to his, gently biting his bottom lip as she did so. The feeling of the kiss lingered on Kaidan's lips as she pulled away.

"Ready to get out of here?" She asked, a cheeky smile spreading across her face.

Kaidan licked his lips, tasting leftover lipgloss and scotch.


	22. Chapter 22

_Chapter 22_

Moonlight shone in through the wide windows of the apartment, casting a dim light that barely outlined the furniture in the front room. A storm of giggles echoed loudly as the front door slide open. Shadows dominated over front entrance, making it difficult for the tipsy couple to maneuver their way into their apartment.

They wandered in, stopping short at the entrance attempting to kick off their shoes. Rose's ankle gave way as she tried to slip off her heels. She stumbled forward, losing her balance but Kaidan caught her wrist. "Whoa.. You okay?" He chuckled, as he pushed his shoes the side, out of her way.

Rose bit her lip in concentration, feeling dazed as the floor seem to rush forward even though she was standing perfectly still now. The buzz going through her was more apparent with the absence of thudding music and the seemingly never ending supply of scotch from the bartender. Her bare feet slapped against the concrete floor, as she made her way to the large window in the living room that was seemed to be calling her.

Pressing her fingertips to the cool glass, she looked out to find herself staring at Earth. A gorgeous white mist seemed to surround the planet. A smile played on her lips. Home. She thought to herself. It wasn't really her home - space, ships and the stars had really raised her. She had only ever lived on Earth for her few months when she was grounded in Vancouver. At the thought of Vancouver she remembered Kaidan, and slowly turned around to find him in the dim light from the window.

He was sitting in the corner of the leather sectional, his face nuzzled into the back cushion. The sleek bow tie he had been wearing earlier was draped around his neck loosely, his jacket unbuttoned."What?" Kaidan asked, his voice husky. Blinking slowly, Rose hesitated before turning back to face the window.

Rubbing his lips, Kaidan watched her for a moment, her curvy silhouette outlined by the light pouring in through the window. "Babe?" He asked again. She didn't reply again. Curiosity overcame Kaidan, he pushed himself off of the couch clumsily and wandered over to the window.

Sliding his hands around Rose's slender waist, he placed his chin onto her shoulder. She let out a happy sigh at the action, and rested her head on his. The two looked at the scene in front of them together as Kaidan spoke.

"It's beautiful eh?" He said, his voice barely a whisper. His lips brushed her skin as he spoke.

Rose let out another happy sound, putting her hands on top of Kaidan's that were still wrapped around her waist. "We'll go there soon."

"Yeah?" Kaidan mumbled, slightly distracted by Rose's closeness.

"Mhm." Her voice purred. "Maybe, we'll stay there. For good." She didn't wait for Kaidan to reply. "Live in Vancouver with your family, buy a house just for us."

Kaidan was listening now, a soft smile spreading across his face as Rose spoke.

"I think I'd like that." She finished, she pursed her lips in a childish way.

He took his chin off of her shoulder, grabbed her face in his hands gently and turned it to face him. "I'd love that." She pecked his lips quickly, and turned around before he could even react.

"Mmm," His voice was a husky growl. "That's it?" He placed his lips on her bare shoulder, teasing Rose. He began to slowly make his way up her neck, causing her breath to quicken slightly. His hands felt down her dress, finding the slit that had been taunting him all night. Sliding his hand inside her dress, Kaidan caressed her thigh while continuing to kiss her throat. Rose let out a moan as she felt Kaidan pull on the lace fabric of her underwear. Impatience filled her body, and with a sudden force she whipped around and pushed her mouth on his.

A surprised noise escaped Kaidan's lips, as he almost stepped back at Rose's aggressive kiss. But then he accepted it - more then willingly. His hands came down onto the small of her back, crushing him into her. Rose's hands slid up Kaidan's muscular chest, her mouth melting on his.

Stumbling in the dark, Kaidan attempted to direct them to the bedroom while Rose's finger fumbled with the delicate buttons of his dress shirt. If they were in their chambers in the Normandy this would have been a breeze. They amount of times they had directed themselves around in the dark in that room were countless. But now in their unfamiliar apartment, and with a drunken stumble, it proved to be a challenge.

As they rounded the corner to the bedroom, the edge of the wall slammed into Kaidan's back painfully. "Ouch." He breathed into Rose's mouth before chuckling. She barely let out a giggle before Kaidan pushed his mouth back onto hers, his hands searching for a zipper.

Suddenly the feeling of the plush rug brushed the couples feet, making them realize they were finally in the bedroom. Their kisses turned frantic as they began tugging at each other's clothes. Kaidan's suit jacket hit the ground first as Rose tossed it across the room away from them. Glancing down he noticed the buttons of his shirt were long undone. He shook his head with a smile across his face, sliding the shirt off. Rose tugged at his belt, biting her bottom lip before flashing him a coy smile and tip toeing into the bathroom.

The bathroom shed some light onto the bedroom for a second, before the sliding door made it vanish. Left in darkness once more, Kaidan pushed his trousers quickly to his ankles before kicking them off. The clatter of the metal on his belt echoed in the room. Kaidan felt for the bed, before his fingertips brushed the soft fabric of the comforter. Laying down on it, he waited impatiently for Rose to reappear in the room. His breath was still a little ragged from the adventure and a half it took to make it into the bedroom.

Not even a minute later, the swoosh of a door filled Kaidan's ears, but there was still no light. His eyes scanned the darkness for the outline of Rose, but he was left disappointed. He could not see anything. Stretching out his arm, he searched for the panel to turn on the lamp on the nightside table.

Suddenly he felt the bed dip a little. Then a warm hand ran down his torso, lingering on his hip. Kaidan reached up, feeling for Rose. His hand found her face and he gripped her chin gently, his heart pounding in his chest. Lowering her face towards his, he kissed her slowly his tongue sliding into her mouth. Their bodies melted together, their legs intertwining and arms holding each other tightly.  
Rolling Rose onto her side, Kaidan heard her let out a happy sigh.

Touching her lips delicately with his finger tips, Kaidan breathed, "God... I love you."


	23. Chapter 23

_Chapter 23_

A pile of duffle bags had begun to form next to the leather sectional. James looked for a place to put his before giving up and tossing it on to the couch. Last night everyone had decided that Shepard's place was their rendezvous point the next morning. _Shepard and Kaidan's_ - James corrected himself. So after waking up in his disheveled suit, he washed off the smell of liquor, through all he had in a bag and wandered over to their apartment to meet everyone.

They were gathered around the table, trading stories about last night. Joker had his hand over his face, shaking his head as Garrus recalled them trying to walk home from the Tower.

"If I remember correctly, I was perfectly capable of directing us."

Joker let out a loud laugh. "You couldn't even figure out how to turn off your radio on your omni tool! Never mind getting us home." Everyone laughed as Garrus made a face at him.

"We must have been a sight to see - two drunk guys, who can barely walk with the Blasto soundtrack blaring as we attempted to find our way back to our apartment." Joker continued before noticing James standing in the living room. "Hey big guy! How ya feeling?"

James grinned, "Probably better then you. You guys hungry?" He opened the refrigerator doors, taking inventory of what was inside. Everyone let out a grumble for reply. "I'll take that as a yes." Grabbing a carton of eggs he placed them gently on the counter top before he started searching the cabinets for a glass bowl. Once he had gathered his ingredients he looked to the dining table to count how many eggs he would need. He scanned the table before noticing Shepard's absence. "Where are the lovebirds?"

"Sleeping." Liara said, her voice even quieter then usual. "They didn't even hear us come in."

An evil grin spread across James's face. Liara noticed it and spoke quickly. "No, don't even think about it!" But James was already across the room, nearing the door. She let out an exasperated sigh before sitting back down in her chair.

The room was very dark compared to the living room and kitchen, causing James's eyes to adjust quickly. But still some sun trickled in through the blinds, casting an orange glow on the bed below the window. James set his eyes on Kaidan first. He was half covered by the white bed sheet, revealing his bare chest. Then James realized that Rose was wrapped inside of Kaidan's arms, her body pressed against his practically hiding her. His eyes widened at how small she looked. All he could see was her naked back and long dark hair, but she looked delicate under Kaidan's muscular arms.

James hesitated before stepping back into the door frame and knocking. He watched as Kaidan's eyes flickered open in confusion. Letting go of Rose, Kaidan stretched before rubbing his eyes. "Hey Vega. What's up?" He reached over and flicked the bedroom lights on. He made a face, seeing if it would wake Rose up, but she just continued to purr, her body rising and falling slowly.

"I'm just about to make everyone eggs - just wondering if you guys wanted some." With the lights now one the rest of the room was revealed. James eyed the ground, noticing the discarded clothing everywhere. He had to stop a cheeky smile from growing on his face.

"Shit, I forgot everyone was coming here." Kaidan rubbed his face, feeling the thin layer of stubble that had grown their over night. "When does the shuttle leave?"

James leaned against the doorway. "At five. It's one o'clock now though."

"Oh man, I didn't mean for us to sleep in that long." Kaidan's eyes flicked to Rose, before he placed a hand gently on her back.

"Yeah well maybe after last night you both deserved to sleep in." James couldn't help himself.

Kaidan let out a chuckle, before smiling to himself recalling the night before. "Well, gimme 10 minutes and I'll be out there. It's gonna be a mission getting this one up." James laughed before turning on his heels and going back out into the living room.

Kaidan waited until the doors had slide shut before he began to wake up Rose. Leaning down, he kissed her shoulder. "Rose?" She breathed. Moving a stray piece of hair and tucking it behind her ear, he kissed her neck before whispering. "Babe."

Her eyelids fluttered before she let out a happy sound. Without opening her eyes, she searched behind her until she found Kaidan's hand. Bringing it up to her face, she kissed the back of it with a smile, before pressing it to her naked chest. Kaidan could feel her heartbeat thudding steadily.

"We gotta get up babe." His voice was a whisper again.

"No." She said in a childish voice, her eyes finally opening to flash him a stubborn look.

Kaidan chuckled. "Rose everyone's already here having breakfast. They shuttle leaves in like four hours." He tried to convince her.

"Mmm, well what if I wanted round two?" She said, grabbing his hand and moving in down to her hip.

Kaidan bit his lip, she was way too tempting. He grabbed her ass playfully, "More like round three from my recollection of last night."

She smiled at the memory before wiggling out if the sheets, "Fine, I'll get up." Kaidan watched as she stood up out of bed, revealing her stark naked body. She arched her back before saying, "You better be naked in our bed later tonight in Rio."

"Babe, I'm gonna be naked in our bed as soon as the shuttle lands." He winked at her before pushing himself out of the bed.

_

Kaidan's head rocked forward as the shuttle hit an air pocket, waking him up. He let out a small sound, before his eyes wretched open. He saw Liara first. She was sitting across from him and she gave him a small smile, reassuring him. He looked down at his side to Rose, who was head was resting on his shoulder. She was still sleeping, her bobbing slightly and her hand still loosely wound around his.

"Hey sleeping beauty." It was Vega, sitting on the opposite side of the shuttle. "Finally getting over that hangover or what?"

"I hope so." He said blinking. "Now Rose just needs to shake hers and we can get this vacation started."

Everyone looked over to her, who was still sleeping peacefully. Nobody had the heart to wake her up. Not when she looked so content. They all smiled at her, before returning back to what they were doing.  
Liara was reading a datapad, her face serious and eyebrows furrowed together as she read. James and Jack were bickering over something, while Joker laughed and told them they were like an old married couple. That instantly shut them up. Garrus was looking out the back window at the sky, his talons folded neatly in his lap. Kaidan caught his attention, giving him a look. But Garrus merely nodded, before returning back to the window.

He watched Garrus carefully for a few moments more, before making himself comfortable in his seat. He grabbed onto Rose's hand a little tighter before turning to look out his own window and the orangey-pink sky moving beside them.


End file.
